Albus Potter and the Search of the Forest
by DarkLordSupporter
Summary: Albus Potter starts his first year at Hogwarts. The adventures the Potter name brings gives Albus an entertaining first year. NOW COMPLETE!
1. The Letter and the Phone Call

Albus Potter sat waiting in his bedroom. The smallest room of 12 Grimmauld Place was Albus' and he enjoyed the small room, mainly for its comfort. There was his bed in the middle of the room, a desk and chair (on which he was currently sitting) in one corner, a wardrobe in another and a small nightstand beside his bed. Albus was looking out the window as he had done every morning for the last month or so. Every morning he had been disappointed and the longer he was made to wait, the more he felt he would be disappointed once again this morning.

Albus stood up out of his chair, he was sure he could see an owl in the distance. Albus was squinting trying to make out the figure that was approaching the house with great speed. As it got nearer, a large smile appeared on the young boy's face. His emerald green, almond shaped eyes lit up. Albus knew that he shared many similarities with his father in appearance, mainly his messy, unruly jet black hair and his eyes.

The owl was approaching the house with great speed. The other usual post had already arrived so Albus was almost one hundred percent sure that it was what he had been waiting for. Seeing no let up in the velocity of the owl, Albus scrambled and opened the window. The owl swooped through the now open window, dropped the letter from its beak onto Albus' bed. The owl never stopped, it turned and exited through the same window through which it had entered the room.

Albus excitedly and nervously grabbed the letter from his bed. The ink on the front matched the colour of the boy's eyes and it was addressed to Albus Potter along with his location of 12 Grimmauld Place in London. He turned it over to see the Hogwarts crest embedded on the wax that sealed the letter. He was shaking. Albus ripped open the envelope and removed the contents.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Term begins on September 1st__and the Hogwarts Express leaves King's Cross Station at 11.00am sharp from Platform 9 ¾._

_Also, find enclosed a list of necessary equipment._

_Yours Sincerely_

_Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Headmistress _

Albus read the letter three times over. He ran out of his bedroom and bolted down the stairs. Albus reached the kitchen out of breath completely but the smile was still plastered across his face. Ginny looked at him but didn't need to ask any questions once she saw the sheet of parchment in Albus' hand.

"Turns out your not a Squib after all" James mocked playfully. James, one year older than Albus and looking even more like Harry than Albus did, had spent the entire summer bragging about a great first year at Hogwarts and slagging his younger brother about him not yet having received his letter. James repeatedly called Albus a Squib and when he accepted that his younger brother would be accepted in the school, he played the next weapon in his armoury. He kept telling Albus that he would be in Slytherin house, the first member of the Potter and Weasley family to ever be in Slytherin.

This affected Albus the most for he knew he wasn't a Squib. He most definitely wanted to be in Gryffindor like his mother and father, his aunts and uncles, his grandparents and his brother before him

Harry entered the kitchen. "I've just got off the phone with Dudley" Harry said, looking as if there was more to tell.

"And?" Ginny asked. "Has something bad happened?"

"No, not in my opinion anyway" Harry replied. "Minerva just paid them a visit. David's a wizard"

"Oh Merlin!" Ginny exclaimed. "What are they going to do?" she asked her husband.

"He said he's going to leave the decision to David who really wants to go I think. We're meeting them in Diagon Alley later today." Harry told her.

"Is that all?" Ginny asked, she had a feeling there was something else that Dudley Dursley had asked her husband.

"Yeah, he asked me if I would tell his parents!" Harry exclaimed. "Absolutely no chance, I told him"

"Well guys, you heard your father. We're going to Diagon Alley today."

Albus and James were already dressed but Lily was still lounging around in her night gown and a bath robe. "Go on Lils, get ready. We'll be going soon" The youngest Potter was the only to inherit the Weasley red hair and she skulked to her bedroom, the fiery red hair hanging halfway down her back.

* * *

><p>It was one that afternoon when the five Potters gathered in the living room, a small green fire glowing in the fire place. "Go on," Harry said to his eldest son James, "you go first". James took a handful of the shiny powder from a flower pot beside the hearth and threw it into the flames. Albus watched as the green flames grew and swallowed James. When they returned to their normal level, James was no longer standing in the fire. Albus had been looking forward to this way for weeks, months even and now that it was here, he wasn't as excited as he had imagined he would be. Albus felt a sense of relief when his letter arrived. Since James had returned from Hogwarts, he spent a lot of time harassing his brother. It was mainly about being a Squid, or when that argument resolved Albus wasn't a Squib, it was about what house he would be in. James always slagged Albus that he was going to be in Slytherin but Albus tried to ignore him. Unsuccessfully. Albus was extremely worried that he would break the line of family members in Gryffindor. If the alternative was Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff then he wouldn't mind too much but he wasn't smart enough for Ranvenclaw or so he thought. Hufflepuff wouldn't suit him, he thought. It was left between Gryffindor, the house he craved to go to at this moment in time and to continue the tradition of both the Potter and Weasley families. The alternative was Slytherin; the most despised house in the school despite the fact it was reportedly 'changing its reputation'. Albus didn't care about that. After all he had heard about Slytherin, he most definitely did not want to end up there.<p>

One of Albus' fear had ended. He was not a Squib. The other would soon be lifted, he hoped, but first he would get to get his school supplies and more importantly, a wand. "Al" Harry said. "Albus!" he said louder this time. Albus snapped back to reality and heard his sister Lily giggling at him.

"Oh sorry dad" he said and Albus walked forward, picking up a handful of Floo powder and throwing it into the fire. Albus was swallowed by the flames and the nauseous sensation of hurtling through fireplaces took over the anxiety of his potential house. Albus had tucked his elbows close to his body, closed his eyes and mouth and hoped to land softly at the Leaky Cauldron, his destination which he had called just before he stepped into the flames. The journey seemed to take longer than it ever had before. Albus felt his feet land heavily on solid ground once more and he stumbled out of the fireplace. The only thing that stopped him from falling over was a table that he had walked, or fallen, into. He regained his feet and took in the sights of the Leaky Cauldron. Albus smiled as he looked around the pub. He was as excited as he had imagined, now that he was close to the cobbled streets of Diagon Alley.


	2. Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**2:Diagon Alley **

Albus stepped out of the fireplace and took in the surroundings of the Leaky Cauldron. It was no longer dull and boring but more colourful and attractive. The set up of the tables remained the same but the lighting increased and the pub was no longer dim.

Albus' mother arrived moments after Albus had stepped out of the fire. The Potter family walked through the pub and were going past the bar when the bar lady Hannah Longbottom, wife of Neville Longbottom Hogwarts professor and good family friend, called out to Harry. "Can I get you anything Harry?"

With this statement heads turned in the direction of the great Harry Potter. "No thanks, just passing through" he replied casually. With this the Potter family exited the Leaky Cauldron and came out facing a stone wall.

Harry took out his wand, counted the bricks and tapped one confidently. Nothing happened. "Move. Let me do it" came a voice from behind. It was Aunt Hermione with her husband and children and standing next to her was Dudley Dursley and his family.

Harry slapped his palm to his face and began to apologize to his cousin. "Dudley, I'm so sorry. I forgot we were meeting you."

"Its okay Harry, now how on earth do we get through this wall?"

Asked Dudley with a quizzical look on his face.

"I'll show you" said Aunt Hermione as she pulled out her wand and tapped the brick on the wall.

The result was instantaneous as the bricks began moving away and an archway formed. Albus, having been in Diagon Alley several times, was used to the site but his cousin David Dudley wasn't. Albus watched as his cousins mouth dropped open forming an 0 shape.

The group walked through the archway to Diagon Alley. "Okay Dudley, this is Diagon Alley. First we have to go to Gringotts because you can't use Muggle money here. David you're going to have to come with us, we might need you because the account has to be opened in your name." Harry told the Dursleys and they started on their way to the famed wizard bank.

"Okay Albus and Rose can come with me and Hermione and James, you can go with your Uncle Ron" Ginny said to the remaining people and Albus and Rose split from Uncle Ron and James.

Aunt Hermione was always a quick and efficient shopper and she was the first to tell us where to go. "Okay we'll go to Madam Malkin's first, then we'll get your books, potions and astronomy equipment and lastly we will buy your wands".

The group set off to the robe shop and after twenty minutes of fitting for their school robes, the group only spent five minutes in Flourish & Blotts and another five minutes in the Apothecary. The each bought a standard telescope next before the began to make their way down the cobbled street of Diagon Alley.

They stopped outside of an old shop with a sign that read in peeling gold letters:

_Ollivanders_

_Makers of fine wands since 382B.C._

Albus was the first to enter but stopped mid step when he looked around the shop. There were shelves on three of the four walls and each shelf went from the floor to the ceiling. Each shelf was full of old boxes that no doubt contained wands.

"This one is perfect for you , use it well" Ollivander told Rose and this snapped Albus out of his trance. "Ah, another Potter." with this Ollivander took off and returned holding a box. He removed the wand from it and handed it to Albus "11inches exactly, holly and phoenix feather, similar to your father's."

Albus waved the wand but the chair on which Rose was sitting broke. Ollivander hastily took the wand off him. He again pulled a box from the shelf and removed the wand and handing it to Albus. "10 ½ inches, elder wood and a dragon heartstring core, nice and supple too." Ollivander told him.

Albus took the wand and felt the warmth spread from his fingers to the rest of his body but this ended when Ollivander spoke. "This is a very powerful wand Mr. Potter, I'm sure that we can expect great things from you, maybe even greater than what your father did"

Albus smiled as his mother paid for his wand and they left the shop. Rose and Albus walked from the shop and down the cobbled street. They were deep in conversation and when their mother's stopped they didn't even realise and kept walking. The were snapped from their conversation when they heard voices from inside an old shop.

"We need to get in, we have no other choice." Albus heard one man say.

"It's too well protected, we'll never get the chance, we'll get caught and I'm not going to Azkaban, I only avoided last time on technicality" Albus heard another man say in a cold drawling voice.

"Look we have to get in and get it, we can't continue without it" came another voice.

"We have l-loads of t-time to g-get it. We s-shouldn't r-rush it, in c-case we do fail the f-first time" said a timid frightened voice.

"This concludes our meeting for today, I will send word of where and when our next meeting will take place" said the voice who Albus heard first. He continued "and your family will play an important part in this." He paused, maybe pointing at the person he was addressing. "You are all dismissed"

Albus heard chairs scraping the wooden floor and then the sound of footsteps getting closer to the door. Albus and Rose scrambled away from the door and began walking back in the direction they came. They stopped only when they were beside their mothers and saw James and Uncle Ron returning to their meeting spot. Albus also saw his father with the Dursleys also returning to the meeting point.

"Hey Albus, look at my new wand. It's cherry and unicorn tail hair!" he practically shouted waving his wand in Albus' face "did you know unicorns were real? I didn't until I got my wand."

"That's great and yes, I did know that unicorns were real"

The Dursleys finished their shopping and after that the group retreated to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry led the way and got the drinks at the bar while Albus, Rose, James, Lily and Hugo sat at a table in the corner.

Rose was examining her new books but had now moved onto her wand. "What's your wand Al?" James asked

Albus reached into his pocket and withdrew a long narrow dusty box. He opened it, took out the wand and gave it to James. James took it from him and looked at it for several seconds before speaking again. "That's elder wood, but what's the core?"

"Dragon heartstring." Albus replied knowing that James was going to make fun of him.

"That's the sign of a true Slytherin Al" James told him with a smirk.

With that Albus took his wand from James and heard his mother call his name. They were leaving. The Potter family Flooed back to Grimmauld Place. In just one week Albus would be on the Hogwarts Express. He had to wait only one more week.


	3. The Sorting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**3: The Sorting**

Albus awoke early on the morning of September 1st. Albus was prepared and had packed the night before. James on the other hand was frantically rushing around the house looking for underwear, socks, clothes and schoolbooks. Albus went into the bathroom where he stripped down to have a shower. Twenty minutes later Albus had finished his shower and was slipping on his favourite pair of jeans and a green t-shirt. His mother always bought him green because she says it "goes well with his lovely eyes".

At half past nine the Potter family left the house and got into the Ministry car their father got for them. The driver took the luggage and placed it in the magically expanded trunk. The Ministry driver got into the car and they began their journey to King's Cross Station.

They arrived just before half past ten and they approached the wall that separated the Muggle world from the wizarding world.

"I won't! I won't be in Slytherin!"

"James, give it a rest!" said Ginny.

"I only said he might be," said James, grinning at his younger brother. "There's nothing wrong with that. He might be in Slyh-" James stopped as he caught his mother's eye.

James looked over his shoulder at Albus before vanishing through the barrier. Lily and Ginny followed next before Albus and his father went through the barrier together. They emerged onto Platform 9 ¾ but couldn't see very far because of the thick smoke from the scarlet engine.

As Albus, his father and mother and sister Lily approached the Weasley family, Albus stopped and bent down to tie his shoe lace. His father saw him and bent down beside him.

"What if I am in Slytherin?" Albus asked his father with a worried look.

"Albus Severus, you are named after two headmasters of Hogwarts and one of them was a Slytherin and he was the bravest man I ever knew."

"But what if I am?"

"Well then Slytherin will have gained an excellent young wizard"

With these re assuring words Albus stood up and joined his family on the train. He and Rose set off to find a compartment because they didn't want to be stuck with him and his second year friends. They eventually found a compartment near the middle of the train. It was totally empty so Albus and Rose sat down facing each other. The large train began moving and Albus and Rose waved to their parents until they turned the corner and were out of sight.

Only minutes later a tall boy, with curly brown hair and blue eyes knocked on the door of the compartment. "Mind if we sit here, all of the other compartments are full." Standing behind him was a boy with slicked back blonde hair, pale skin and a pointed chin. All of his features were very prominent because of his hair.

"Yeah go on" Al replied

"Hi, I'm Finn Riddle" he said "and this is Scorpius Malfoy" he continued gesturing to the blonde haired boy.

"I'm Albus Potter, and this is _my _cousin Rose Weasley" Albus said introducing the two of them

"Hi" Rose whispered tentatively.

The rest of the train ride went by without much more events apart from James joining them in their compartment for a few minutes.

As darkness fell the train neared Hogsmeade. They all changed into their robes and when the trained stopped they all walked onto the platform excitedly.

"Firs' years this way, firs' years follow me now" came the low gruff voice of the half-giant gamekeeper.

All of the smaller kids were left after the older students went to the carriages. The first years followed Hagrid and after being told four to a boat they set off towards the castle. The 'ooohs' and 'aaahhhs' followed as the students got their first glimpses of the castle. They arrived at the underground docks and were met at the door by Professor Longbottom. They were in a small room off the entrance hall when Neville spoke "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily. You will be sorted by The Hogwarts Sorting Hat into one of four houses. The houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. While at Hogwarts your house will b like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points while any misbehaving will lose you points. The house with the most points at the end of the year is bestowed with the honour of the House Cup. If you will now follow me"

The students followed the professor and entered the doors into the Great Hall. The four house tables were placed lengthways along the hall and each table was almost filled except for some space at the end for the new first years. Atop an old rickety stool sat and old patched and frayed hat. An rip appeared above the brim of the hat and began to sing.

"_I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And sort you to your houses I shall,_

_If you go to Hufflepuff_

_You are loyal and just_

_The patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And fair play is a must_

_If you go to Ravenclaw _

_You are of wise mind_

_Those with wit and full of learning_

_Will always find their kind_

_If you go to Gryffindor_

_You are brave of heart_

_By daring, nerve and chivalry _

_They are set apart_

_And if you go to Slytherin_

_You have ambition_

_They use their cunning_

_To succeed in their mission"_

Everyone in the hall began to clap but stopped when Neville unrolled the parchment

"When I call your name, you will come forward, sit on the stool and the hat will be placed on your head. Archer, Charles"

A small sandy haired boy and after a short deliberation he was sent to Hufflepuff. After the first student Albus tuned out until he heard a familiar name . Scorpius Malfoy was next and he was sent to Slytherin. Albus went back into his trance until "Potter , Albus" was called.

Rose nudged him forward and he approached the old stool tentatively. He sat on the stool and the Sorting Hat was placed on his head.

"Ah, another Potter" the Hat said in almost a whisper. "Unlike your brother but very like your father. You are loyal and fair, traits of Hufflepuff. You are also wise and witty, you could go to Ravenclaw. You are brave too, maybe Gryffindor like the rest of your family?" the Sorting Hat asked as a rhetorical question. The Hat then continued to speak while Albus remained quiet. "You are cunning and resourceful, they are traits of Slytherin. What do you think"

"You choose, it's your job. I don't mind, put me where you think I'll do best" Albus told the Hat confidently.

"Okay, if you say so, it better be" and the Hat stopped before shouting out to the entire hall "SLYTHERIN!"

Albus took off the hat and walked towards the table clad in green and silver who were clapping and cheering. Albus sat down and the boy across from him started talking to him.

"Riddle, Finn". the curly haired boy walked forward confidently and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on his head and shouted "Slytherin" after only a few seconds.

"Jeremy Finch, Prefect and Quidditch captain. Nice to have you and your always welcome to attend the Quidditch tryouts which will probably be this weekend. I'm the Chaser by the way."

"Nice to meet you too" Albus said unenthusiastically and then he heard Rose's name being called. She went to Gryffindor very quickly but not before giving a glance over to Albus at the Slytherin table.

The noise in the Great Hall began to die to a whisper here and there. The noise died completely when the Headmistress rose from her seat. "I will keep it short as you wan to eat. Welcome back" she said with her arms out stretched. After a few moments she retreated to her seat and the plates in front of the students began to fill with food.

Albus looked at all the food in awe before eventually deciding on roast beef with a side of potatoes, of many different forms.

After eating through his beef and then treacle tart Albus was overly full. Professor McGonagall rose again and once more the hall fell silent.

"Now that you are all fed and watered, I will proceed with the announcements. The Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits for all students" she glanced at the Gryffindor table and James in particular as she said this. She continued "If you are interested in being on your House Quidditch team please register with your Head of House. For the Quidditch captains please meet with your Head of House to organise the tryouts and please meet before the end of this week". She paused and looked around the hall once more. "You may have noticed that we are one professor short. After over fifteen years of teaching here Professor O'Leary has decided to retire. We do have a replacement but he will not be here until tomorrow. Our new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor is Head Auror, Harry Potter." With this she stopped as the entire hall broke into applause. "Now, I believed I have covered everything necessary. You will receive your schedules in the morning. First years, follow a prefect to your common rooms." All of the students rose from their seats and left the hall as they chatter began again.

Albus followed Jeremy to the common room through the dungeons and heard the password as "Snape" and entered the common room.

The common room was dimly lit by green lanterns and everything was cut from stone. The couches were green and silver and there were serpent heads on the corner of the fireplace. The fire was roaring and the heat of the common room was almost overwhelming.

"First years your dormitory is upstairs and the last door on the right for boys, for girls it's the same on the left." came the voice of Jeremy.

Albus was so tired from the journey he retreated to his dormitory. He went up the stairs and arrived at the last door. The door was black and painted in green letters was:

_FIRST YEARS_

Albus pushed the door open to find that Scorpius and Finn were already sitting on their beds. Albus approached the bed which his trunk was lying at the foot of and opened it to remove his pyjamas. He took them out and put them on before getting into four poster bed and pulling closed his emerald green hangings he lay back in his bed contemplating his day.

Tomorrow was a Saturday, he would write to his mother then. He also didn't have to worry about any classes. With these thoughts in his head he slowly drifted off. He had only met two of the people in his new house but didn't care, he had all weekend after all.


	4. Quidditch and Duelling

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**4: Quidditch and Duelling**

Albus awoke the next morning refreshed. He was dressed and out of the dormitory before any of the other boys. He took some parchment and a quill from his trunk and began to write.

_Dear Mum, _

_Had a great first night. I met some people that seem alright on the train. I haven't talked to them much since but they are in my house._

_And onto houses. I was sorted into Slytherin. I don't really mind but I know I'll have to put up with James._

_Did you know Dad was teaching here? Why didn't you tell us? Any thing else your not telling us?_

_Love you_

_Albus_

After signing the letter he went to the owlery. It was a cold morning but it was dry and there was only a light breeze. After slowly crossing the grounds and walking up the steps to the owlery Albus looked around in search of his owl who must have been brought up here from the train because he wasn't in the dormitory. He spotted his snowy owl which he received from his father. He whistled and Hedwig II flew down and landed on a perch beside him. His father had named his owl for him. He tied the letter to the owls leg. "Take this to mum" he whispered to the owl

The owl pecked at his finger affectionately to say he understood his task. Albus watched the owl fly off until he was only a speck in the early morning sky.

Albus returned to the castle and entered the Great Hall. He saw James sitting at the Gryffindor table with Rose, Dominique, Victoire, Louis, Roxanne, Fred, Molly and Lucy. He beckoned for Albus to come over. Victoire was sitting with her Head Girl badge gleaming and pinned to her robes. Louis was in his second year with James. Fred was in his fifth year and was a prefect. Molly was in her fourth year as was her twin sister Lucy. Roxanne was a third year and Dominique was in her sixth year and was the Quidditch captain.

Albus approached them and he was prepared for the worst. "Why are you in Slytherin?" James asked as Albus got near.

"I don't know. I just am and I'm happy I'm in Slytherin. Is that all you wanted me for?" Albus retorted

"Yeah, that's all for now" James coolly replied.

Albus then began walking towards the Slytherin table. He sat beside two boys he recognised as the other first years. "Hi, I'm Luke O' Brien" a small boy with short brown hair. "I'm from Ireland" he blurted out. "Right in the middle, a county called Westmeath. Ever hear of it?"

"No, sorry." Albus replied. "I'm Albus Potter but everyone calls me Al."

Just as Albus finished his sentence the other boy turned to him. "Potter? Like is your dad Harry Potter?"

"Yes he is" Albus replied

"He went to school with my mum and dad. My dad was in Hufflepuff though and my mum was in Slytherin. I'm Brian Smith." he finished.

Albus looked across the table at Finn Riddle and Scorpius Malfoy. "Hey Riddle," an older boy shouted "are you related to Voldemort?"

Finn didn't say anything and continued to eat when Luke and Brian introduced themselves only nodding his head in recognition.

The weekend passed quickly and Albus' dad wasn't here yet. He entered the Great Hall on Monday morning to receive his schedule. He had Defence Against the Dark Arts first, then Transfiguration and after lunch he had a double Potions.

He also had double Potions on a Friday, a double DADA on Wednesday. Thankfully they were the only double classes he had.

Jeremy Finch sat down across from him and started talk to him "Quidditch tryouts are on Saturday at noon. Be there early" and with that he got up and left. Albus also left and retrieved his books before making his way to the DADA classroom on the second floor. He arrived just in time and took a seat at the front beside Finn Riddle who had arrived before Albus. This was the only seat left and Albus was happy that he was on time. Just as Albus took his seat Harry Potter walked in.

"Good morning class. I am your new DADA professor. I am Professor Harry Potter. Before we start does anyone have any questions. Almost all of the hands in the class shot up. Albus realised that they had this class with the Gryffindors.

"Did you really do all the things them books says you did?" a Gryffindor boy shouted from the back.

"Okay, I did most of them things but the books exaggerate a lot of them. Now if that is all" Harry said as all the hands in the class went down. "please can everyone stand up." Everyone followed the orders and with a flick of his wand all the desks slid up against the walls in an orderly fashion. "Please pair with the person you were sitting beside. You will each duel so I can see how capable you are. When I tell you to begin, you will do so. When I tell you to stop, you will stop. Okay Al and Finn you go first. You may use any spells you know that will not cause lasting damage."

Albus was confident. His father had thought him some duelling spells and he had mastered all of them. He pulled his wand from his robes and readied himself.

"Okay" Harry shouted "three… two….. One"

Riddle was quicker and fired the first spell. Albus dodged and fired a disarming spell. Finn created a shield and deflected it. The duel continued like this for several minutes. "RICTUMSEMPRA" Albus shouted "EXPELLIARMUS" he shouted straight after. Finn deflected the first spell but wasn't quick enough and was disarmed. Albus caught his wand and gave it to Finn when he came over to Albus.

"Well done Al, and you too Finn that was excellent. Could you two please stay behind after class?" Harry said. The rest of the class period continued with duels but no one was nearly as good as Albus and Finn. The two duelling partners were talking about where they learned their skills from. As it turned out Finn also learned his skills from his father.

Albus' next question had nothing to do with duelling ad he had blurted it out before he even knew what he said "Are you related to Voldemort?"

"Yes" he replied simply

"But how?"

"Before Voldemort killed his father he had another son with another woman. She was a witch too and he abandoned her when he found out. That child was a wizard. He was my granddad. My dad was Voldemort's nephew. He was only 20 during the second wizarding war. My dad told me that people would give me a lot of bother." he finished there and Aln=bus tried to process all of the information. The bell rang and Albus and Finn went up to Harry's desk. "Boys" he said "that duel was phenomenal. I am going to recommend that you two join the Duelling Club. I will vouch for you and with your skills, ye will not struggle to compete against the older students. You may think about it. You may got to your next class."

Albus and Finn left and they rushed to the Transfiguration classroom. "Okay class" but he stopped when Albus and Finn walked in. "where have you two been? You are nearly ten minutes late for class."

" We were with Professor Potter."

"Okay sit down Potter and Riddle. Take out your books"

Albus sat down beside Rose and Finn beside Scorpius. Albus took out his book and looked at his Professor. He was tall with curly medium length brown hair. He had a long pointed nose and large, almost bulging, blue eyes. He stared around the room. He spoke again in his deep but enthusiastic voice. "Okay class" he waved his wand and notes appeared on the blackboard. "I have placed the incantation on the board. You must work backwards and find what object you will be transfiguring. You have five minutes and you will then receive your objects. Begin"

Albus flipped through his book quickly. "I also forgot to add that the first person to find the answer will earn their house twenty points. Albus looked around and saw Scorpius staring lazily at the board and he could hear Rose murmuring "Oh, I know this, where is it?" Just as Rose's hand shot into the air, Scorpius was already telling the answer to Professor Parker. Rose shot Scorpius a distasteful look and Professor Parker announced that Slytherin would receive twenty house points.

The class then received their needles and tried to transfigure them into matchsticks. By the end of class Scorpius, Rose, Finn and Albus were the only ones that successfully transfigured their needles. Albus only did it with the help of Rose as she corrected his wand movements and his pronunciation. They each received five points for their house.

The week passed quickly except for History of Magic which was easily the most boring class. Friday afternoon came as did their second double potions class. Professor Paul Kelly only taught them how to make the potion and they would be making it today. Professor Kelly was also the Head of Slytherin House bit didn't favour anyone, well, not yet anyway.

By the end of the class Albus had excelled. His potion was the best in the class by far. Albus didn't know why, but he liked potions and found it relaxing. As of now, potions was his best subject.

Saturday morning came and Albus woke late but was refreshed. He went to the Great Hall with Luke and Brian as they also rose late and found that neither of them would be trying out. At around 11.30 Jeremy rose and said that anyone trying out for Quidditch should be on the pitch in twenty five minutes because he was starting at noon exactly. Albus went to his father's office and got an old broom off him because it was better than the school broom. Albus had his first flying lesson yesterday and had no bother in summoning his broom or flying for that matter.

After changing into the Quidditch gear provided Albus was one of the first on the pitch. Jeremy walked towards him. "Potter, good morning. What position are you trying out for?".

"Seeker" Albus replied

The tryouts began and the Chasers and Beaters were followed by the Keeper tryouts. After what felt like hours waiting the Seekers were called. Jeremy released the Snitch and the first person to catch it would be the Seeker. Jeremy also had the new Beaters trying to hit them. Five minutes later was going into a dive after the Snitch. Once within range, one swipe of the arm and the Snitch was resting in his palm. "Okay, Albus Potter is our new Seeker. Well done."

Albus returned the Snitch to Jeremy before leaving the pitch. Albus had to go see his father because the first duelling club meeting was tonight. He had to get some tips from him because he was an excellent duellist. Albus walked up to the castle talking to Luke. Well, Luke was doing all of the talking and it was all about Quidditch and Al being a friend of his and on the Quidditch team.

"I'm going to see my dad. Do you want to come?" Albus asked as they entered the Entrance Hall.

"Yeah, your dad is awesome." Luke replied.

They set off towards Harry's office and when they were on the first floor Albus saw his dad. "DAD!" Albus shouted "Hey! Dad, wait up!" Albus and Luke ran but Harry had heard and he turned around. "Dad, I need help-" he paused to catch his breath "-for the duelling meeting tonight"

Harry gestured for the boys to follow him. They arrived at his second floor office and went inside. The office was small and round. There was a desk and a large chair behind it. There was a smaller chair opposite the desk. The office was painted scarlet and the rug on the floor was gold with a lion on it. "Sorry if the colours out you off but I was a Gryffindor" Harry began as he sat behind his desk. Albus sat down and Harry conjured a chair for Luke. It was identical to the one Albus sat on. "Now Al, what do you need help for."

"Well first dad I'm Seeker for the Slytherin team." he told his father. Harry beamed at him

"Well done Al."

"Anyway that's not what I came for. I need help. I'm not as good as the older students in the duelling club." he said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Albus you are an excellent duellist. Trust what you know. Aim low. You will do well and I think you can beat your first opponent." Harry said with a grin. "And on another note, be early for dinner tomorrow, you don't want to miss the Headmistress' announcement."

"What is it?" Luke asked

"You know I can't tell you Luke but I'm sure you will be happy when you hear it."

The day passed quickly for Albus. All the Slytherins were congratulating him on his achievement and he was receiving pats on the back from some of the younger Slytherins including a "Well done" from Scorpius and a "That's brilliant" from Finn who he was now becoming really good friends with since their duel in DADA.

After dinner Albus and Finn returned to the Common Room only for a short time and were back in the Great Hall twenty five minutes later.

"Hey Professor, get these first years out of here" an older Gryffindor boy shouted to Professor Potter

"They are here on my invitation. Can all the fifth through seventh years please follow Professors Kelly and Longbottom you will not be duelling here."

All of the older students left the hall behind the Gryffindor and Slytherin Heads of House. "Okay please stand where your House tables will normally be. There you will see the teams you have been split into. After the end of each meeting the team with the most victories on the night will receive ten points in the standings. Second place will receive five points while third will receive two points. At the end of the year the two teams at the top of the standings will compete in the final. The first person to disarm their opponent wins. You may not use and spells which will cause lasting damage. Their will be two duels going on at a time. I will referee one and Professor Parker will take the other. When I call your name, step forward. First up with me is James Potter and Albus Potter"

Albus' jaw dropped and he was nudged forward by Finn. He walked to where his father was as every eye in the Great Hall rested upon the three Potters. James walked forward confidently but Albus could hardly believe it.

"Wands at the ready. On my call. Three….. Two. …. One….Duel."

"EXPELLIARMUS" James shouted immediately.

Albus dodged and fired his own Disarming Spell. James deflected it before firing an orange spell at Albus' head. Albus ducked and fire his own beam of blue at James' legs. James wasn't able to deflect it and couldn't jump. The spell hit his legs and he crumpled over in a heap. Albus fired his Disarming Spell and James wand shot into the air. "Point Potter, Slytherin." Harry announced.

James got up and congratulated his brother but didn't look happy. Albus walked back to the Slytherins and happily told Finn that he won his duel against his brother. Finn won his first duel against a third year Hufflepuff. When Albus was called, Finn pointed out that he would be duelling the Hufflepuff he beat. Albus approached his father again. His second duel was much like the first winning like he did in the first by hitting the Hufflepuff in the legs with a beam of blue and the disarming him.

Albus was retreating to the Slytherin table when he heard the next names called. "Finn Riddle, Slytherin and James Potter, Gryffindor" Harry shouted.

"A Potter and a Riddle again." a black haired Hufflepuff shouted. "In this Hall too"

"Be quiet" Harry shouted "or you lose twenty house points."

This seemed to do it as he didn't shout again. The duel between James and Finn was similar to Albus' with James. Only this duel ended controversially. Both shouted "EXPELLIARMUS" at the same time. The two beams of red collided in the middle and rebounded. Both wands left their masters hand at precisely the same time.

"Draw duel. Half point to each team" Harry announced.

"Who won?"

"Yeah, tell us!" people continued to shout.

"Okay the winner is Team 2 from Slytherin House" Harry announced.

Albus and Finn were smiling. Their team won. The two first years had helped their team to victory. Their team was pretty good but they had heard that they won by half a point. It was Finn's half a point which vaulted them to victory.

"You may return to your Common Rooms" Harry announced.

All of the students began to leave the hall and Albus and Finn were among them until they heard their names called. They both turned around and saw Harry and James standing looking at them. They walked back towards them. "Well done tonight Finn. I presume that we will see you at all of the meetings from now on." Harry said

"Thanks Professor. I'll be at all of the meetings."

"You may return to Common Room. Albus can you wait behind please."

Finn set off out of the Great Hall again and Albus looked at his family. "I told you that you could beat your first opponent" Harry said with a grin before walking off leaving the two brothers alone. "Well done Al. I didn't think that you were that good at duelling."

"Dad taught me some of the basics before the start of the year." Albus told him.

"The way you duelled, it looked like more than the basics" James said with a smirk

"Well…maybe" Albus replied grinning.

"Anyway, I heard you're the new Slytherin Seeker-" James said looking at Albus. Albus nodded and James continued. "- we had our tryouts today and I am the new Gryffindor Seeker and we will be playing Slytherin in the first match of the season in November. Good luck bro. well better be back before curfew."

With that James left and Albus walked out too. They went their separate ways, Albus to the dungeons and James to Gryffindor Tower.

Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, James vs. Albus, Potter vs. Potter. Albus let these thoughts race through his head as he walked back to the dungeons.


	5. The Master and the Prince

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**5: The Master and the Prince**

Albus and Finn told Luke, Brian and Scorpius about the duelling club the next morning. Luke had already told Brian and Scorpius about the announcement that would take place tonight. Their conversation reached this topic. They talked about every possibility. After exhausting talk about the announcement, Albus decided to go visit Hagrid. "Any of you guys want to tag along?" Albus asked.

"Yeah, I'll go. You told me he's not scary." Luke said

"I want to go too." Scorpius and Finn chimed in together.

"I suppose that I might as well go. I don't want to be by myself." Brian said.

Together the group of five exited the Common Room and into the dungeons. They walked through the cold dungeons at a brisk pace and set off through the grounds. They arrived outside the large cabin. Albus could see oversized pumpkins growing to his left. He went forward and knocked on the door. He heard Hagrid manoeuvre about inside before the door swung open. Hagrid stood there looking down at Albus. "Come in, come in" said the gruff voice of Hagrid.

Albus led the group in. They sat down in the large round cabin and sat on oversized chairs. Hagrid brought the five of the tea and Albus introduced them. "This is Luke O 'Brien" Albus said pointing to Luke. "Brian Smith, Scorpius Malfoy and Finn Riddle" Albus finished and he noticed that Scorpius and Finn received hateful stares from the gamekeeper. After about half an hour of talking to Hagrid, Scorpius asked to leave because he said that he felt sick. Brian offered to take him to the Hospital Wing. The two left and Albus, Finn and Luke remained. Hagrid then asked a question he probably shouldn't have. "There was a Riddle in school with me, you aren' related to him are ya?

"You mean Voldemort?" Finn asked in what sounded like a whisper

"Yeah, that's the fellow" Hagrid replied

"Well, yes, I am related to him." Finn said. Hagrid and Luke had puzzled and shocked expressions on their faces. Finn, seeing this, continued. "Voldemorts father had a son with another witch. Voldemort, as you know, killed his father. That wizard child was my granddad. That's really all I know about him, except that he died in the last war when my dad was only nineteen."

"Did your da' fight in the war?" Hagrid asked

"I don't know."

"You better get back to the castle, you don't want to miss Professor McGonagall's announcement."

The trio left the hut and walked back to the castle. They took their seats and, as usual, ate their dinner. Once all the plates cleared, the Headmistress stood up

"Now, I have an announcement to make. The details were only finalised yesterday. This year Hogwarts will host a tournament between ourselves and two other wizarding schools. The other competing schools will be the Australian School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the newly amalgamated school of the Salem Witches and the Merlin Wizards, know known as The Salem and Merlin School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This competition will be the TriWizard Tournament. However, there will also be duelling and Quidditch competitions. The other schools will arrive on Halloween night and everything will be fully explained by a Ministry official." Professor McGonagall finished and the Hall returned to a buzz of excitement. Everyone was talking about the tournament.

The double DADA lesson on Wednesday went well. Albus and Finn continued to excel. The bell rang and the class ended. "Al, will you wait please." Albus stopped as the rest of the class shuffled by him. "There is something important I need to show you. Please follow me."

Albus followed his father out of the classroom. The walk was a long and silent one. Eventually, Harry came to a halt outside of a stone gargoyle. "Thestral" Harry said.

The gargoyle jumped out of the way showing a spiral staircase which was rising from the floor. Harry stepped on the staircase and Albus followed. "Dad," Albus said "where are we?"

"This is the Headmistress' office."

They arrived at the top and Harry knocked twice on the oak doors before going in. "Minerva, I'm here for what we talked about." Harry told the Headmistress who sat behind the large desk.

"Oh Harry. Yes, that's okay. I shall give you some privacy." Professor McGonagall replied before getting up and leaving her office.

"Al, I want you to meet the two Headmasters you were named after. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape." Harry then turned to the portraits on the wall.

"Harry, nice to see you again" said a portrait that contained a man with long white hair, a long white beard. He wore half moon spectacles and his blue eyes sparkled as he spoke.

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape, I want you to meet by son-" but Harry was cut off there.

"Why do you want me to meet your son, Potter?" snarled a man with a hooked nose, pasty skin and a sheet of lack hair that ran to his shoulders.

"I want him to meet the two men he was named after. I named him Albus Severus, after two great men. Two men who helped me to defeat Voldemort and two men whom I have great respect for." Harry finished.

"You named your son after me?" asked Snape with a mixture of joy on his face which he tried to he tried to hide with a sneer.

"Yes I did. I would also ask you to look at my son. I'm sure you will see something familiar." Harry then turned to Albus "Al go closer to Professor Snape's portrait.

Albus did as he was told and saw Snape look straight into his almond shaped emerald eyes. "Lily's eyes." Snape murmured as he looked at Albus.

"Indeed, I also hear he possesses her fantastic potions abilities. This this true Albus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, I'm the best at Potions in my class." Albus told him proudly.

"You father was never any good at Potions." snarled Snape

"Now, now Severus. Harry was kind enough to name his son after you."

"Yes but he's probably exactly like his father and grandfather for that matter."

"I would doubt that. Albus please tell Severus in which house you reside." Dumbledore said calmly

"I'm in Slytherin" Albus replied

"A POTTER in Slytherin." Snape said in disbelief. His eyes then wandered to the uniform Albus was wearing and saw his green and emerald tie along with the Slytherin crest. "I would say that everyone was shocked to see that at the Sorting Ceremony."

"I'm sure they were, Severus. I also hear young Albus is the Seeker of the Slytherin team and is also a member of the duelling club because his duelling skills are said to be even better than his father's." Dumbledore said.

"I think that this is enough for now." Harry said and gestured for Albus to follow him out.

"I hope to see you again Albus" Dumbledore said.

"Yeah. Bye" Albus replied before leaving the office with his father. Once they were out of the office and walking back down the hallway Albus started to talk to his father. "Dad. I never used to like the name Albus Severus but after meeting the two people I'm named after I'm proud to be named after them."

"I knew you would Albus. They are great men and I'm sure you noticed Professor Snape took an interest to your eyes -" but Harry was cut off.

"Yeah dad, why was that?" Albus asked.

"You have the same eyes as me. But you also have the same eyes as my mother. Professor Snape was in my mothers year and knew her before they even started school. Professor Snape was in love with my mother and loved her eyes especially. You have those eyes, and so, seeing them again made them think about my mother."

"Oh. That's a bit strange" Albus said

"Yes it probably is but he was a bit of a strange man." Harry said with a chuckle.

The following morning Albus sat with his family at the Gryffindor table. He knew not to talk to Rose because she is not a morning person. Even her usually long straight red hair was bushy. She liked to keep to herself in the morning. Once the bell rang Albus went to his first class. History of Magic was good enough to put Albus to sleep. They then had Herbology which he enjoyed, mainly because he liked the teacher. Professor Longbottom was a good family friend and Albus liked him very much.

The morning passed with little effort as possible as they had a theory class for Herbology. The afternoon classes of Charms and Transfiguration passed with practical classes and Professor Parker was as unpredictable and slightly psychotic as ever.

The afternoon and evening passed. Albus had a Quidditch practice so an hour before dinner Albus left the Common Room and made the trek to the Quidditch pitch. He was one of the last to arrive and changed quickly. Once on the pitch, Jeremy ordered one of the Beaters to try and hit Albus as he tried to catch the Snitch. It was a tiring session for Albus because it involved a lot of diving and rolling to avoid the Bludgers being sent his way. After an hour and half of practicing Jeremy called it to an end. The team slowly walked to the castle as one group after listening to Jeremy's team talk. "Okay lads, that was a good session. We're definitely good enough to win the cup. We have to come second to get to the final at the end of the year. Gryffindor, from what I hear, has gone all Weasley with the exception of Albus' brother but the Weasleys are his cousins so they are all part of the same family and I'm sure Albus knows how they all play. Don't you?" he asked looking at Albus. Albus nodded and he continued. "We can beat Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw so we have to make sure to take our goals when we have the chance. If we score enough, we'll no doubt make it to the final"

Albus had a quick dinner and retreated to the common room. He did some homework but went to bed rather early. He was asleep when he heard familiar voices in his dreams. He couldn't hear them at first, but then they became more clear. The picture also began blurry but came into focus with the sound.


	6. The TriSchool Tournament

**I don't own Harry Potter or any other original characters**

**6: The TriSchool Tournament**

_He was in a large room. There was a worn wooden table in the middle of the floor. The chairs were old and wooden too. The stone floor was uneven and the building looked makeshift. There was nine or ten men sitting around the table. None of their faces could be seen and only their hands were visible as they were placed on the table. The men were dressed in all black. The first voice was loud and clear. "Okay, we know we need it to continue so let's not argue about that. We are here to discuss how to get it. Any intelligent suggestions?" he finished and appeared to look around._

"_From what I hear, I will have good reason to be there this year. According to my sources -" he was cut off there_

"_How trustworthy are your sources?"_

"_Very." he replied shortly in his cold drawling voice. "As I was saying before being interrupted, according to my sources there will be a tournament taking place there this year and I have good reason to attend. I will do the necessary work. All of you can stay in the village and I shall send for your help if necessary."_

"_How far are you from entering the place?"_

"_I will only be able to attend the final day of competition so it will be the end of the school year."_

"_It is the best we have for now. Our meeting is finished. I will send word of our next gathering. I must meet with two men interested in what we're doing." _

The scene became blurry before disappearing completely. Albus awoke with a start. He was sweating profusely and was tangled in his bed covers. He looked around the dormitory and saw Luke sitting up looking at him. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just had a bad dream" he replied.

"I wasn't sure what was happening when I heard noises. I woke up and saw you twisting and turning in your bed. I thought that you might be having a fit or something. Well, if you're all right, I'm going back to sleep."

"Okay, I'm going to see my Dad and tell him what happened."

With this said Albus got out of his bed and put on a bath robe and slippers. He exited the dormitory and out into the corridor. He walked through the ice cold dungeons and eventually arrived at the Entrance Hall. He continued to the second floor. He didn't make it all the way as when he rounded a corner, he bumped into Professor Parker. He was wearing deep blue hooded robes "Potter, wandering the halls, eh?" he asked rhetorically and then continued "Looks like a detention for you Potter. Come to me tomorrow after lunch to organise your detention."

Albus looked at him. His large blue eyes were bulging and his hair was curlier than usual. "Now, back to your Common Room."

"I need to see my dad" Albus said.

"Oh yeah? I'll escort you."

Albus followed his Transfiguration professor and they stopped at his fathers office come living quarters. The room was small and was clad in plain colours. There was a large wardrobe but by the looks of things it wasn't put to much use. The clothes were strewn all over the floor and the bed wasn't made. Harry was sitting at his desk reading parchment. It was a large stack of parchment. Harry didn't notice them until Professor Parker spoke. "Potter, your son is here to see you."

Harry looked up and saw Albus. "Oh, Al. I thought that James had been caught out of bed doing something mischievous." he said with a grin.

"I have to go now." Professor Parker barked.

"Thank you Michael."

Professor Parker walked out and Harry turned to Albus. "Why do you need to see me? What happened?"

"I had a dream. A bad dream. Not like a normal dream." Albus said quickly

"Tell me about this."

"Okay, well I'll start at the start. When me and Rose were in Diagon Alley we overheard men talking about needing to get in somewhere to get something. Then tonight I had this dream tonight. It was the same. I heard men talking about getting it and they were all dressed in black. They were in a room cut from stone and I couldn't see their faces. Did this actually happen?" Albus asked

"I'm not sure. For now, don't think about these dreams. Fro now, they mean nothing." Harry replied calmly. "Now, I have to finish these tonight." he indicated to the stack of parchment.

"What are they dad?"

"They are everything to do with safety for the upcoming tournament. As Head Auror it is my job to have the safety regulations and the security too. Now I'll walk you back to your Common Room."

Albus and Harry started the walk back to the dungeons. When they were on the first floor Harry bent down to tie his lace. Albus stopped and looked out of the window. He saw a man dressed in black entering the forest. Albus got suspicious but didn't think about it. They continued to walk through the halls and Albus kept looking out the window. After about five minutes Albus saw another cloaked figure in dark robes entering the forest. Albus got really suspicious now but again, didn't say anything to his father.

Albus sat in the Common Room doing his homework. It was a Saturday afternoon and he sat with Luke and Finn at a table near the corner. He just sat down to start his Potions essay when someone approached him. "Hey Al" said the voice of one of the Slytherin first year girls, Emily O'Malley. She was about the same height as Albus, had a sheet of dark brown hair that danced around her shoulders and she had green eyes, very similar to Albus'. "Can you help us with our Potions?" she asked.

Albus was used to this as he was the best at Potions. He went with Emily where she sat with Zoey Fahey and Chloe Clarke. Zoey had very long black hair that almost reached her waist and had blue eyes. Chloe had blue eyes too, and had blonde hair. It was somewhere between her shoulders and waist. Albus was used to seeing these three girls together, they were very rarely apart and always asked for Albus' help in Potions. "'Lo Al" said the soft voice of Zoey.

"Hi, Al" said Chloe. without looking up from her Potions book.

After five minutes of helping the girls Albus went back to his own work. "See ya, Emily, Chloe and Zoey. If you need me again, you now where I'm sitting." Albus said before returning to his table.

Albus returned to his table and was about to sit down to continue his homework when Luke put his books back into his bag. "Hey Al, you coming to lunch?"

"Crap! I have to go and meet with Parker to organise my detention." Albus said before dropping his things and running out of the room. He ran through the dungeons and arrived at the Transfiguration classroom with a pain in his side. He wiped the sweat from his brow and knocked on the door.

"Enter" came Professor Parkers voice.

Albus entered the classroom and saw his professor sitting at his desk grading a stack of papers. Albus approached the desk and before even sitting down Parker spoke. "You will serve your detention with Hagrid tonight. You will be at his cabin at eight o clock sharp. I understand you are part of the duelling club and I have been told you will attend that meeting at seven before your detention. Is that correct?"

Albus nodded and then he spoke. "May I go now, Professor?"

"You are dismissed but Potter remember that if I catch you wandering the halls at night again, I won't hesitate to take points from Slytherin and you will receive more than one detention. I will also not let you go running to daddy again. Is that clear?" he growled at Albus

"Yes, sir" Albus replied quickly before leaving. He went to the Great Hall. He ate a quick lunch. We wanted to catch up with Rose. He was her leaving the Great Hall with three others. "Rose!" he shouted. "Hey Rose! Wait up!".

Rose turned around. Albus ran to her before she could go anywhere. "Hey Rose. How are you?" he asked panting.

"I'm good. Al, this is Alison Noone" she said indicating to a girl about the same height as Rose. She had dark blonde hair that was tied up in a scarlet ribbon. "This is Conor Kavanagh" she continued indicating to a boy with short black hair. He had brown eyes and was taller than Albus. "And this is Alex Noone." she said pointing to a boy. "Him and Alison are twins" Rose added. Alex was very similar to his sister. They both had dark blonde hair. They both also had eyes that were a deep shade of blue. "This is my cousin Albus Potter, but you can call him Al."

"Anyway Rose, can you pass a message to James for me?" he asked.

"Yeah, what do you want me to tell him."

"Tell him to meet me here at five o clock. Thanks." he told Rose before leaving for the Common Room. Albus had to tell someone and it might as well be James, he loves mysterious stuff.

So, at five minutes to five Albus got up to leave the Common Room. "Al, can I come?" asked Luke

"I suppose so, come on."

With that Albus and Luke put their books back into their bags and left the Common Room. They arrived at the Entrance Hall to find James and Louis waiting for them. Louis like Victoire had inherited their mothers silvery blonde hair. He was also on the Quidditch team and played Beater. "Hey Al, why did you bring me here?" James asked.

"Well, one night coming back from Dad's office I saw two people going separately into the forest. I thought that because you have the vantage point of being in the Common Room not under the lake, that you might want a challenge. A mystery to solve and I know you and Louis love any chance to break rules and make mischief." James and Louis grinned.

"Okay Al, I think we can do that. What do you think Louis?"

"I think this should be too easy for us but we can give it a go anyway."

The two older boys grinned at them again before walking the other way. "Oh, and Al you won't get the same luck against me in the duelling club again." he smirked and continued walking.

Albus and Luke walked around the grounds before returning to the castle where they had a dinner of roast beef in the Great Hall. Albus and Finn waited around outside of the Great Hall until their duelling meeting started. Being on the same duelling team, Albus and Finn attended a duelling practice every Tuesday. They were two of the best on the team despite there being second, third and fourth years on their team. The second meeting and Albus and Finn had learned many more duelling spells during their practice session. At five minutes to seven Harry opened the doors of the Hall to allow the students to enter. When everyone had entered he stood up and everyone fell silent. "Now, firstly, I have been told that two students from each duelling team will be chosen to try out for the Hogwarts duelling team. Please keep that in mind when duelling. You all have a chance to represent Hogwarts in the upcoming tournament."

"The procedure will be the same as last week."

Albus began thinking about who could possibly be going into the forest when he heard his name. "Albus Potter, Slytherin and Louis Weasley, Gryffindor" Harry called. "Does he always have to put me against my family?" Albus murmured. He approached the area where his father was.

"Good luck boys. Three….. Two… one…. Duel." Harry announced.

"Expelliarmus!" both shouted together.

Albus deflected his with a shield charm while Louis dodged. Albus dodged another of Louis' spells before ducking from a bolt of blue which passed over his head. Albus fired a Trip Jinx at Louis' legs. Louis was unable to dodge nor deflect and was tipped by Albus' jinx. "Expelliarmus!" Albus said coolly as he watched Louis' wand fly from his hand. He caught the wand in his right hand as he has his own in his left.

"Point Potter, Slytherin" Harry announced as Albus gave Louis back his wand.

"Well done Al, your better than I gave you credit for." Louis said as he took back his wand.

"Thanks" came Albus' reply

Albus walked back to the Slytherin side and was congratulated by Finn who also won his duel. Albus' second duel was shortly after his first and was in Parker's ring. He duelled a second year Ravenclaw whom he beat pretty easily. After it he walked to his father. He needed to go or he'd be late for his detention. "Dad" he whispered "I need to go or I'll be late for my detention with Hagrid."

"Okay Al, you have my permission to leave." his father told them. Albus left the Hall unnoticed and he began the walk down the grounds to Hagrid's cabin.

"'Lo Al. We're going to be goin' inta the forest tonigh'. I'll go easy on ya but ya can't tell anyone tha' I did. Okay?" came the gruff voice of the half-giant gamekeeper as Albus approached. Hagrid had a large crossbow and looked ready. "Ya have to be real careful, nothing will harm ya if ya stay close to me but can never be too sure."

Albus and Hagrid set off into the forest. "We're goin' to bein' lookin' for unicorn hairs because Professor Kelly is runnin' short." Albus and Hagrid continued walking. "They'll be caught in bushes like this here." the gruff voice sounded again and he indicated a bush full of silvery hairs. Hagrid picked them from the bush and placed them into a vial. He handed a glass vial to Albus and told him to put all the hairs into it. Albus continued walking and stopped at a bush which many silvery hairs were caught in. he pulled them all from the hair and as he left the bush and went around the back of it he felt something that wasn't foliage under his feet. He looked down and saw a black travelling cloak. He picked it up and stuffed it inside his robes. He hoped Hagrid wouldn't notice the bulge in his side.

After an hour of collecting unicorn hairs Hagrid called Albus back as his detention was finished. He walked with the gamekeeper where Hagrid gave him a note to say he was in detention and that it was Hagrid's fault that he was out after curfew. Albus went back up to the castle and instead of turning to the dungeons when he got to the Entrance Hall, he continued up to his father's office on the second floor. He knocked and received a low sound of "Enter". He went in and told his father about the cloak he found in the forest. Just as Albus was handing over the cloak, Albus recognised it. It was the same cloak a man in his dream was wearing. "Dad" Albus started, "remember the dream I had?". His father nodded. "Well, the people in it were wearing cloaks like this one."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm almost sure of it."

"Okay, follow me."

Harry left the office and Albus followed his father. Harry walked at a brisk pace and Albus nearly had to run to keep up. His father began to slow down and Albus was able to catch up. "Al, I never got to congratulate you on your victory over your cousin in the duelling club. Louis is quite a good duellist. Your Uncle Bill won't be happy to learn he lost to a first year." Harry chuckled.

"Thanks Dad, beating Louis proved to me it wasn't a fluke against James."

"It wasn't a fluke against James. You are a rather talented duellist and are better than a lot of the second and some third years in the duelling club."

"Dad, can you stop making me duel against my family?"

"I'll try my best." Harry grinned. "We are at our destination. Thestral"

The gargoyle jumped out of the way to reveal a spiral staircase. Harry and Albus stepped on and moments later, they stood looking at a large oak door. Harry knocked and walked into the office. "Back again Potter? What did you do this time?" Snape barked at them as they entered.

"Must you ridicule them Severus? Harry fought hard to get you where you are and he named his son after you." said Dumbledore to his neighbouring portrait.

"I suppose this one isn't as bad as the other Potter boy. But then again, what do except with a name like James Sirius?"

"Severus, be quiet." Minerva McGonagall had entered her office. "Harry, what can I do for you?"

"During Albus' detention, he found this cloak in the Forest. Albus also had a dream and in it he said that the men were wearing cloaks like this."

"Oh, we will need some security around the grounds. What can you do?" she asked looking towards Harry.

"I'll send word to Ron and ask him what he can do." Harry finished.

"Thank you." she replied before going back up the stairs.

"Detention already Potter. My, my we do need to behave ourselves." a voice sneered

"Now, now Severus. Must you ridicule Harry every time he steps foot in this office. He has a great respect for you. He named his on after you and he fought very hard to put you where you are." another voice sounded. Albus looked up and saw his namesake beaming down at him.

"I think we should go now Al." Harry said and Albus followed his father from the room. "I would appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about the breach in security, Al."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone."

Albus retreated to his bed for the night and thought about the last 48 hours.

As September moved to October the weather moved too. It grew colder and warm days were much less frequent. Most of the trees had shed their leaves and the ground was becoming increasingly soft underfoot. Albus continued to juggle his Quidditch practices and Duelling Club meetings with his increasing amount of homework.

The month moved on uneventfully, well, uneventful for Hogwarts. As the month drew to a close everyone's excitement grew for the Tournament. Halloween arrived. The school had no classes that Tuesday because of the arrival of the American and Australian schools.

Before dinner on Halloween the entire school flocked to the Entrance Courtyard. Albus stood beside Luke and Finn and they were at the front of the large crowd. "How do you think they're arriving?" his Irish friend asked.

" I dunno. I suppose it's going to be something big though."

"Hey, is that a shooting star?" Finn asked with a quizzical expression. "What the hell is that? It's coming straight for us!" he exclaimed.

"It's a- I think that it's a bus." Albus replied.

Indeed it was a bus. A large green double decker bus was heading straight for them. "I think that's the Australians."

Albus had heard that voice before but hadn't heard it in quite a while. He turned his head and saw his red headed cousin.

"Hey Rose, haven't talked to you in a while."

"We've been getting loads of homework and I have to make time to study as well."

"Studyin'" Luke exclaimed. "Your worse than Scorpius. He's never up for a bit of banter, he's always bloody studying"

"I'm sorry that we both care about our grades Luke. Its not my fault if you fail" Rose replied.

"May I have your attention please" the voice of the Headmistress sounded. "If you would all please allow our guests into the Great Hall first and then follow them in." She turned to the foreign students before she spoke again. "There are four tables in the Hall, you may sit at which ever one you please."

The Headmaster of the Australian School beckoned for his students to follow and they did. They were all wearing green robes with yellow. The Headmaster and Headmistress shared the position in America because the two schools merged. The man and woman walked forward and the students lined up behind them. The boys were in single file behind the male and the girls the same behind the woman. They walked forward and into the castle. Professor McGonagall walked behind them and the Hogwarts students filed behind her. The Americans and Australians were already sitting in the Great Hall. The Americans were seated at the Ravenclaw table and the Australians with the Hufflepuffs. The students sat down and the Headmistress stood. "Please may I have your attention. This tournament is very similar to the TriWizard Tournament. Mr. Edgely is here from the Ministry to explain."

An middle aged man with long black hair stood up. His hair hung in front of his face like a curtain and tints of gray could be seen in it. He wore Ministry robes. When he stood Albus saw that he was quite tall. "Today marks the beginning of the first TriSchool Tournament. The tournament will take place throughout the year in Quidditch and Duelling. There will also be one witch or wizard chosen from each school to compete. They will compete in three tasks. Each win in a task is worth ten points in the standings. Second will receive five points and third will be awarded two points. The same scoring system will be used in the Duelling. In Quidditch, the winner of the match will receive ten points. If the losing team is within one hundred points at the end they will receive a point. If you are your House team, you may try out for the Hogwarts team, which will be coached by Mr. Oliver Wood and assisted by Teddy Lupin and Ashley Everdeen. Mr. Wood will explain how the team will be picked when I finish. The Duelling team will be picked and coached by Head Auror and Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Harry Potter. The Goblet of Fire -" he paused as Harry carried in a casket. Mr. Edgely waved his wand the casket melted away revealing an over sized Goblet. "- will choose one witch or wizard from each school to compete. You shall simply write your own name and school on a piece of parchment and drop it into the Goblet before dinner tomorrow night. Mr. Wood will now explain about the choosing of the Quidditch team." he finished and sat down. A rather tall man with tightly cut brown hair stood up.

"The Hogwarts Quidditch team will chosen by me. I will be assisted by to great players Teddy Lupin and Ashley Everdeen. They will help me make my decision. The first match of the Inter-House Championship will take place on the first Saturday of November. The second match will be the following week. I will watch those two games and pick a team based on the performances. There will also be reserves chosen. Hogwarts will play Australia in the first match on the final Sunday of November. Thank you and Harry Potter will now explain about the duelling team." he sat back down and Harry stood up.

"The Hogwarts Duelling Team will be picked next weekend. Only members of the senior duelling club may try out. That is fifth through seventh years. As for the sole competitor to be chosen you must be in at least your fourth year to enter."

"Thank you Professor Potter." the voice of the Headmistress sounded loudly and she stood up. "To represent your school you must be in at least your fourth year. An Age-Line will be drawn around the Goblet and anyone who attempts to enter who is underage will be dealt with appropriately." she glared in James' and Louis' direction before sitting down

A massive feast appeared on the plates in front of them and the students began to eat. Once finished their feast the retreated to their Common Rooms. Albus went to sleep with a full stomach and couldn't wait to find out who would be competing for Hogwarts. He also thought that he had an opportunity to beat James to the Hogwarts Seeker position.

Albus awoke the next morning to find that he was the first awake. He looked around and saw hangings being drawn back. Luke sat up in his bed and looked around. "You coming down to breakfast?" Albus asked as Luke got out of his bed.

"Yeah, but come on Al, give me a few minutes, I only just woke up."

"Me too. Now come on, we can see people putting their name in the Goblet."

That's all it took for Luke to shoot out of his bed and pull on his clothes. They grabbed their books for their first class before heading out. They arrived at the Great Hall. There were many people putting their names in the Goblet. None of them were familiar until he saw a girl with red hair place a piece of parchment in the Goblet. She next approached the Slytherin table, Albus, to be exact.

"Just thought I'd tell you, I put my name in the Goblet Al. I want to be chosen like your dad and my mum."

"That's great Dom. Are you going to try out for duelling? And do you think that you'll get on the Quidditch team?"

"I'm not sure, you never know with Slytherin, unpredictable Chasers. Do you think you'll beat James to get on it? The other Seekers aren't nearly as good as either of you, and Teddy is going to be there. Dad also told me that Oliver Wood played Quidditch with your Dad in school, so he's almost bound to pick a Potter."

"You can never be too sure!"

"Okay, see ya later.

With that Dominique left and Luke turned to Albus. "You never told me your Dad was a TriWizard champion!"

"He won it too and I never told you because you never asked!" Albus replied.

The day passed like any other Wednesday. Albus also found out that his cousin Fred also put his name in the Goblet of Fire.

Dinner came and went, everyone ate as fast as humanly possible so they could find out the school representatives. The time came and Professor McGonagall rose from her seat and approached the large Goblet. The lights in the room dimmed. The Hall fell into silence. The Headmistress outstretched her hand and moved it upwards. The blue flames of the Goblet turned red and grew in size. A tongue of red flames shot out of the Goblet. A piece of parchment was thrown into the air. It slowly floated downwards and once within range Professor McGonagall snatched it from the air. She looked at it. "The champion from the Australian School of Sorcery is Steven Warner."

Professor McGonagall looked up and the entire Australian contingent began applauding. A tall boy with shaggy blonde hair stood up and began walking towards the Headmistress. Albus guessed he was in about his sixth or seventh year. He took the parchment from the Headmistress and walked through a small door just off the staff table. The tension returned to the room. The flames turned red once again and another small piece of parchment was shot into the air. Again Professor McGonagall caught it. She looked at it. "The champion from the Salem and Merlin School of Witches and Wizards is Grace Simpson."

A girl, slightly younger than the Australian champion stood up. She had a sheet of black hair that fell to her shoulders. She walked smiling towards the antechamber. Once again the Americans applauded as their champion walked forward. The hall fell into silence. It took longer this time. The flames eventually turned red. A piece of parchment was caught by the Headmistress. She looked at it and her mouth dropped open. Anger grew on her face. She looked around the Hall and every Hogwarts student bore the same anticipation and eagerness. "Can all Weasleys and Potters please come forward to the antechamber." her voice broke slightly at the end.

A sea of red rose from the Gryffindor table as well as the silvery blonde hair of Louis and Victoire. Albus stood up at the Slytherin table and followed his family. The all walked past the Headmistress and into the antechamber. The all looked at each other. Harry walked in followed by Professor McGonagall and Mr. Edgely. "How did you all get on one piece of parchment?"

The Headmistress demanded. They all shook their heads and had quizzical expressions. "All of your names are here. _James Potter, Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, Victoire Weasley, Dominique Weasley, Louis Weasley, Fred Weasley, Roxanne Weasley. Molly Weasley and Lucy Weasley_. All of them. I demand to know who did it?"

"Minerva" Harry spoke "I doubt any of these would do it."

"You're right Harry, I just got carried away. Charles-" she looked towards Mr. Edgely "-what do we do?"

"Well, one of these are going to have to compete. I think that the best way to do it is to put just their names back in the Goblet and see whom it chooses. Whoever it chooses will be the Hogwarts Champion." he took a sheet of parchment from his robes and tore it into ten pieces. He handed one to each Potter and Weasley. "Write your name and school on that. I will place them in the Goblet." he passed a quill around. Albus got the quill and wrote:

_Albus Sever__us Potter, Hogwarts._

He folded it up and handed the piece of parchment to Mr. Edgely. "Please return to your seats."

The group of ten walked out of the antechamber and returned to their House tables. Mr. Edgely walked out and placed each piece of parchment in the Goblet. "There was some confusion as to who would be the Hogwarts champion. The parchment selected by the Goblet had ten names on it. Each of these has been re-entered and one of them will be chosen. Please be patient." the Headmistress dimmed the lighting once more and approached the Goblet. The flames turned red and a piece of parchment was shot out by a tongue of fire. The Headmistress caught the parchment and looked at it. Every one knew it was either going to be a Gryffindor or Slytherin champion. "The Champion for Hogwarts will be James Potter." The Gryffindor table broke into applause closely followed by smatter of applause from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables.

Albus let out a sigh of relief and turned to Luke. "Thank Merlin, I thought it was going to be me for a minute" he whispered.

The school left the Hall and Albus thought about was almost was. He was so happy he wasn't the Hogwarts champion. He knew how much James enjoyed being in the spotlight he also thought about what his mother would say when she found out.


	7. Potter vs Potter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**7: Potter vs. Potter.**

"Okay, this is it. We've got a chance to win." Jeremy stood in the changing rooms. The week had passed and the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin were in a buzz of excitement. The rivalry built and would climax today. "We have trained long and hard for this. If we perform we can get on the Hogwarts team. Our House team hasn't been this good in years. We haven't had a Seeker as good as Albus in years. Now is the time to perform. Let's head out now."

The entire team, clad in their emerald and silver robes, left the dressing room. They were led by Jeremy and then continued by their numbers. They mounted their brooms and flew onto the pitch. Albus looked at the _Firebolt 4.5_ in his hand. He only received it yesterday and had only flown it once. His broom was now faster than James' _Firebolt 3.5 _and they both knew it.

"Firstly, here comes the Slytherins." Albus looked up to the commentators box and saw his cousin Victoire. "Captained by Jeremy Finch who plays Chaser along with William Higgs and John Bletchley. Daniel Montague and Cameron Avery are the Beaters. The Keeper is Simon Burke and the Seeker is Albus Potter." The disgust and hatred seemed to leave Victoire's voice when she announced Albus' name.

"And now-" she called out as seven scarlet figures soared onto the pitch. "- the reigning champions, Gryffindor. I'm related to this team and don't even need to look at my sheet." she said with a chuckle. "The Captain and Keeper is Dominique Weasley. The Chasers are Molly, Lucy and Roxanne Weasley. The Beaters are Fred and Louis Weasley and the Seeker is James Potter. Fred has already lived up to the reputation set by the man he is named after. Can James Potter do the same? But more importantly James and Al are on opposing sides. Two brothers playing in the same position against each other. From what I hear the Hogwarts Seeker spot will be chosen by this game."

Mr. Wood walked onto the pitch and dropped the large crate in the middle of the field. "Alright, captains shake hands." he ordered. Jeremy and Dominique walked forward and shook hands. "I want a clean game from all of you" he looked at the Slytherin team in particular. He blew his whistle and with the shrill blast fourteen players soared into the air. The Snitch and Bludgers were released before Mr. Wood threw the Quaffle into the air. Albus soared higher than anyone else. He wondered what strategy James had.

"And the Quaffle is taken by Higgs he passes to Finch and its Bletchley taken it.. And .. Ohh play is broken up by. A well aimed Bludger from Fred knocks the Quaffle from Bletchley's hand. Taken now by Lucy, given to Molly and.. Oh, a Bludger from Avery is enough to make Molly drop the Quaffle."

The match continued like this for what seemed like days to Albus. There was no sign of the Snitch and James was hovering near him all the time. "And that score from Higgs makes the scores tied once more. It's 140-140."

Albus looked around and saw the Snitch. It was at the base of the Gryffindor post. Albus took off but James flew in front of him to block him off. By the time he passed James, the Snitch was gone. He looked back at his brother, who smiled at him and shrugged hi shoulders. Again and again Albus saw the Snitch only to be blocked off by James defensive tactics. The fourth time Albus didn't stop but picked up speed as he approached the Snitch. James flew in front of him and Albus didn't bother to stop. James was knocked from his broom. Luckily, they were only a few feet off the ground so James wasn't injured. "Penalty, Gryffindor." Albus looked around and heard Mr. Wood blow his whistle.

"Roxanne Weasley scores to level the game at 210-210."

Albus once again saw the Snitch. James saw it too. James was closer. The two brothers took off in chase of the Snitch. Albus was gaining because of his superior broom. James and Albus were neck and neck and they were almost within range of the Snitch. The entire game stopped. Everyone watched as the two Potters battled for the Snitch. James stretched his arm. Albus pulled himself forward on his broom until he was sitting on the very edge. He was now closer than James. He stretched out his arm. He was almost there. He felt contact from his side. He tumbled over and fell from his broom. He lay there and then he felt something struggling in his left hand. He stood up and held up his left hand with the Snitch. "What a catch from Al Potter! Slytherin win 360-210. That was an epic battle between two brothers."

Albus stood up and saw James approach him. He put his right hand forward. Albus took his hand with his own and shook it. "Well done, Al. That was a great catch." James said.

Albus grinned. "Thanks. From what everyone is saying, looks like I'm going to be the Hogwarts seeker."

"You do that!" he said jocularly. "I am the Hogwarts TriSchool Champion!" he announced proudly.

"Well done Al." he turned around to see Luke closely followed by Finn and Brian with Scorpius just behind them. And behind Scorpius. Albus looked and realised who it was.

"Congratulations Al. You were lucky to beat James but we'll still win the Cup"

"Thanks David, but I highly doubt James will be focused enough."

"I suppose. Can you meet me in the library this evening before dinner? I need to talk to you about something" he asked tentatively

"Yeah, no problem. See you then."

With this answer he walked away. "Al, who was that?" Finn asked

"That was my cousin, David."

"How many cousins do you have here?" Luke asked

"A few" Albus replied chuckling. "Come on there's a party in the common room.

The group began a trek back to the castle. They were reliving the game play for play. Albus wasn't paying attention and was admiring the scenery. He looked towards the forest and saw his curly headed Transfiguration professor and the Deputy Headmaster entering the forest. This was Albus' second time to see the pair enter the forest. They kept looking back but eventually walked into the forest.

They returned to the Common Room to find a party in full flow. Someone had taken food from the kitchen and there was music being blasted from the WWN. They all smiled and entered the festivities. Albus was happy. Every person that saw Albus congratulated him. He didn't even know half of them


	8. The Revelation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anyone from the Harry Potter series. I only own the characters I have created.**

**8: The Revelation.**

Albus arrived at the library and saw his cousin sitting at a table in the corner by himself. Albus approached his desk and sat down. "Hey David, what's up?" he asked as he put his bag down and sat down.

"I'm alright. I just need to talk to you about some stuff."

"What is it?"

"Well, honestly, I don't have a lot of friends. Alex and Conor are nearly always with Rose and Andrew and Patrick only really talk to me because we sleep in he same dormitory but I'm nearly always by myself. James talks to me sometimes and Rose barely talks to me. Even though Maya started talking to me recently. She just talked to me first because she was wondering if I was James' cousin. Then she started to talk to me more. She was always by herself too, so we started hanging out more. But apart from Maya, I hardly talk o anyone else. Anyway, I was wondering if, maybe, you and me could hang out more?"

"I'd love to, but you should try and make more friends in Gryffindor. I don't think that hanging out with a bunch of Slytherins would help you do that. You do know that there's a huge rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well then, hanging with a bunch of Slytherins will make you an enemy with the Gryffindors."

"Yeah I know. When I was being sorted I wanted to be in Gryffindor because Dad told me that your Dad and James was in Gryffindor and that you'd probably be there too and now I hardly talk to you because you're in Slytherin."

"Yeah, I know but, I am in Slytherin. I'm quite happy being in Slytherin. I have some good friends and I'm enjoying school. I don't think being with a Slytherin would help you in the long run."

"Hey guys, mind if I join?"

Albus turned and saw Maya. Her black hair fell to her shoulders and her gray eyes looked at him. "Yeah, no bother." he replied. She sat down beside David and took out a Potions book and a piece of parchment, along with a quill, from her bag. She flipped her book and stopped at the page they were on in their last class. "Anyway, David, I got to go now. I have to get started on my homework."

"Yeah okay Al, I'll talk to ya again soon."

With this Albus took his leave. He remembered that Duelling club was on a Saturday evening but wondered if it would still be on because of the Quidditch. Instead of going back to the party he decided to go to his fathers office. He walked with his mind wondering about his cousin. Perhaps he could talk to his father about that. He arrived at his father's office and walked in. "No point in knocking, it is my dad" he thought.

Is father was sitting, feet on the desk reading one of what looked liked a stack of sheets on his desk. He looked up.

"Al!" he exclaimed, putting down the parchment he was reading. "Sit down. What's bothering you?"

"How'd you know something is bothering me?"

He chuckled. "Why else would you come? I also have to congratulate you on what was an unbelievable catch today. I can tell you that your brother wasn't happy you beat him. He calmed down and said that was unexpected and a great catch. Anyway, what's up?"

"Well, my first question, is there duelling club tonight?"

"No, it was decided that because of the Quidditch, you would have the night off. What else, if that is your first question?" Harry asked, his smirk turning more serious.

"Well, David was telling me that not a lot of people talk to him. He wanted to hang out more with me but I told him hanging with a bunch of Slytherins wouldn't help him make friends in his own House. What do you think?" he asked finishing everything very quickly.

"Well, I kind of agree with you. Being in Gryffindor, he wouldn't help himself by being with Slytherins. You should do what you think is best." he replied contemplating what he was saying.

"Okay, thanks Dad" Albus replied. "What were you reading?"

"Well, since James is going to be in the tournament, I'm trying to make it as safe as possible. I am also being replaced by your Uncle Percy as judge because I'm James' dad so they thought I would be biased towards James." he replied resuming the position he was in before Albus entered.

"Okay, see you Dad."

"Oh and Al" he called before Albus left "Congratulations!" he said with a wink.

Albus left wondering what he was talking about. He was thinking about this and he went where his feet carried him. He continued walking but his train of thought was interrupted by a voice that he had heard before. He stopped and wondered who it was.

"The nerve of you two to show up here. You're lucky you didn't get caught."

"We needed to talk to you." came a cold drawling voice

Another voice came and it sounded familiar to Albus but he couldn't place it. "We can't keep stringing the others along. We need to find it. We may be able to drop them. We need it though. We can wait until the final event but the others may grow suspicious."

"We will wait until the end. If we need to dispose of others you will do so. It only matters that we get it by the end of the school year, that way, we will have the summer to figure everything out. You can leave now"

Albus heard wood scraping on metal and feet shuffling. He darted around the corner and down the corridor. He didn't look back until he was in the dungeons. He stopped, his heart racing almost ready to break from his chest. His mind was flooded with thoughts as he panted his way back to the Common Room under the lake. He entered and saw Luke and Finn sitting at a table, probably still reliving the Quidditch match. "Hey guys, I need to talk to you. Can we go to the dormitory?"

Finn and Luke looked at one another, confused, and Luke replied unsurely "Yeah, no problem." he continued. "Hon Finn". the two got up and followed Albus to the dormitory. They sat down and Albus told them everything he overheard.

"So, wha' do ya think this person is after?" Luke asked

"I'm not sure, but, they sounded really desperate." Albus replied.

"But it has something to do with the tournament. You said that they're going to try and get it at the final event." Finn added.

"Yeah, I suppose all that we can do is wait. And before you ask, I'm not going to tell my dad, he already has enough with James to worry about."

"We weren't going to ask you to tell your dad." they both said as if the thought had never crossed their minds.

"Thanks for that. I wasn't going to, no matter what you said."

Albus rejoined the party and was sitting alone when Emily approached him. "Hey Al, mid if I sit down?"

"Go ahead." he replied. He quite liked Emily, but he did only talk to her when she was stuck in Potions.

"Great catch today. I didn't know that you were against your brother."

"Well actually, I was against my family. The entire Gryffindor team are my cousins, except for James, you know he's my brother."

"That must have been hard, trying to knock your cousin off the broom."

"Not rally, our family are pretty serious about Quidditch. Once you get on the pitch nobody cares who they're related too. It's a bit crazy." he told her, stifling a chuckle.

"Yeah, my family is like that too. Everyone is obsessed with Quidditch. Once the balls are in play, it's everyone for themselves." she said chuckling slightly too.

"Thank Merlin, we're not the only ones!" he said grinning

"Yeah, I thought that too."

"I got worried that my family was completely bonkers!"

"I thought that too. Maybe we should talk more often Al, you're not just a Potions genius that I can turn too when I get stuck!"

"Thanks for calling me a Potions genius!" he relplied.

"Well you are. But yeah, I'll talk to more often from now on. See ya later. Going back to talk to Chloe. Zoey is with Scorpius and Brian, they always seem to be together. What do you think?"

"Yeah I hardly ever the guys, they're always with her and Jean too."

"Maybe me and Chloe should start hanging out with you, Luke and Finn" she said, walking away before Albus could reply.


	9. The Announcement and the Ceremony

**Disclaimer: As usual I don't own Harry Potter.**

**9: The Announcement and the Ceremony.**

"Al!" James shouted.

Albus turned around. "What is it James?" he asked. He didn't like talking to James much anymore because he was always boating about being the Hogwarts TriSchool Champion.

"I was told to tell you that there's a meeting in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom after the last class today. It's about the Hogwarts Quidditch team, they're naming it today." James told him almost deflated as the words came from his mouth.

"Okay you can tell whoever it is that I'll be there." Albus replied only wanting to get back to the Common Room to get his books for his next class. He walked back to the Common Room and retrieved his books. Luke was dragged from the Common Room by Albus and they went to their Charms class which would be followed by Transfiguration. The Charms class passed by as per usual. Albus and Luke talked while practicing their levitation when Professor Flitwick would walk by. They went to what was by one of Albus' least favourite classes, Transfiguration.

Albus wasn't great at Transfiguration but the teacher didn't help either, he was always so angry when Albus couldn't do the work assigned. Albus went to his class and sat in his usual seat at the back. The class passed slowly and as usual Albus didn't transfigure anything. And as per usual the Professor gave out to Albus. The class was going bad when there was a knock on the door. Louis walked in. "Professor Potter sent me to get Al." he said as a reply to Parkers question of why he was here.

"Well, do you have a note from your Professor?"

"Yes, I do actually." the Professor looked shocked. Louis reached into his robes and removed a sheaf of parchment and handed it to the Professor. The Transfiguration professor looked at the note.

"Okay Potter, you may go. Bring your things, too, there is only a few minutes left. O'Brien you can give him his homework after class."

Albus got up after packing his things and left with his cousin. "What's this all about?" he asked as the two walked towards the DADA classroom.

"Your Dad and Mr. Wood are calling all the Quidditch players to meet earlier. They're naming the team now, I think your going to be Seeker because the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Seekers were terrible."

"Thanks." Albus replied as they walked into the classroom.

"Ah, thanks Louis. Now we have all the twenty-eight players. The team will be named now with just the players here. At dinner tonight the teams will be introduced to the rest of the school. You will also be presented with your Quidditch uniforms tonight. Now Mr. Wood will name the team he along with Teddy and Ashley picked." Harry finished talking.

Oliver Wood stood up and looked around. "I will name the first seven. Okay, straight to business. The Keeper is Dominique Weasley of Gryffindor. The Beaters are Fred Weasley from Gryffindor and Leo Stump of Hufflepuff. The Chasers are Jeremy Finch of Slytherin, John Samuels of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's Molly Weasley. Finally the Seeker is Albus Potter of Slytherin. Congratulations to you all. I will name the reserves at a later date. You must all be at dinner tonight where the team will be named. As your name is called you will come up to the staff table. Headmistress McGonagall will present you with your Hogwarts Quidditch uniform. We ask that you please not tell anyone the team as it will be announced to the rest of the school at dinner. The duelling team will be named first. You may return to your Common Room's now." he finished

The entire group got up and left. Everyone except Albus who had been approached by his father. "Well Al, I suppose congratulations are in order. You really deserve to be on this team."

"Yeah, you do Al, you played a really good game against James. At least I'll be helping someone I know for the year." Teddy Lupin walked over clapping Albus' back.

"Thanks Teddy, I have to go but I'll see you at dinner." Albus replied as he walked from the room.

"You know Harry, I think that he could be better than I was. He flew like a natural against Gryffindor and, well, lets say what he did to catch the Snitch takes a lot of confidence and skill."

"I agree Teddy. He really could do well from Quidditch."

Albus walked into the Common Room and was immediately ambushed by Luke and Finn. Luke was the first to ask the question he had been expecting. "Didda getona team?" Luke blurted out.

"I think he means did you get on the team?" Finn asked as he grinned slightly at Luke.

"Don' make fun o' my accent. Tha's the way we talk where I'm from. Ih's not my fault." Luke replied in his normal Irish Midlands tone.

"Well, I'm not allowed to tell you if I'm on the team. It's going to be announced tonight at dinner." Albus replied.

"Ah come on Al, you can tell us, we won't tell anyone" Finn said almost on his knees pleading with Albus.

"Oh come on, he didn' get picked, tha's why he won't tell us!" Luke said.

"Fine, fine, fine I dint get picked if you must know. But I'm telling you who did get picked and you can't tell anyone I didn't get picked. Alright?" Albus told them. They both shook their heads to indicate they understood.

Dinner came extremely quick for Albus and he tried not to appear too eager. He didn't want his friends to ask questions. The group left the Common Room and arrived at the Great Hall in next to no time. They sat and ate their dinner as usual. After they finished their dessert the Headmistress stood up and was ready to make a speech. "As you all no doubt know the Hogwarts Quidditch team was named earlier today, as was the Duelling team." she said as everyone looked at her in anticipation. It was clear that no one revealed the Quidditch team.

Headmistress McGonagall named the Duelling team first but Albus couldn't listen. He missed all the names because his heart was racing, almost jumping from his chest. "And now" she continued "it is time for the Quidditch team picked by Oliver Wood along with Teddy Lupin and Ashley Everdeen. When your name is called come up and you will be presented with your Quidditch uniform. The team is as follows: The Keeper is Dominique Weasley of Gryffindor." Dominique rose from her seat at the Gryffindor table and walked forward to the staff table. She shook hands with Mr. Wood and Professor McGonagall before being presented with her robes which had _"D. WEASLEY"_ and a large number one on the back written in gold with some scarlet in there too.

"The Beaters are Fred Weasley from Gryffindor and Leo Stump of Hufflepuff." Again the two beaters walked from their seats and did the same as Dominique. This happened again after the Chasers were named.

"The Chasers are Jeremy Finch of Slytherin, John Samuels of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's Molly Weasley."

Albus' heart began thumping in his chest. He was sure that everyone around him could hear it. "Finally the Seeker is Albus Potter of Slytherin." Professor McGonagall announced.

Luke's mouth dropped open as did Finn's, Brian's and Scorpius'. Everyone looked toward him as he rose from his seat and walked to the staff table. Professor McGonagall shook his hand after Mr. Wood did. She handed him a bundle of black robes. Printed on the back in silver was _"POTTER" _and a large number seven underneath it. Albus noticed that the House colour of each student was in the robe.

"Now that we know the Hogwarts team I can announce that the first Quidditch match will be on the final day of November. I am well aware that it is a Thursday so there will be no classes on that day. The first Duelling meet will take place on Saturday the 25th of November, the day before the first task."

"You may all go back to your Common Rooms" she said before everyone left the Great Hall. Albus got up and scooped his bundle of robes from the table. He was one of the last leaving the Great Hall. He walked slowly from the Hall wondering how he would explain to his friends why he told them he wasn't on the team. He walked slowly to the Common Room and said the password knowing that he and Atticus would probably be ambushed being the only Slytherins on the Quidditch team. He walked in, pretty much unnoticed by the older students. There was, however, a group of people who did recognise his entry.

"Albus Potter!" Luke announced "Why did you lie to us?"

"Well, Wood told me not to tell you so I didn't!" he replied.

"I understand Al." Finn butted in and then glared at Luke as if saying "leave the kid alone, don't give out and ruin his night."

"Alrigh'. Can I see your robes then?" he asked

"Yep, no problem, but come up to the dormitory." he told them as they followed him up to the dormitory.

The three boys walked to the dormitory and Albus dumped the bundle of robes onto his bed. He watched as Luke walked over and picked up one of the robes. He looked at it and the writing and the back. He ran his hand along the silver lettering and number. He felt the fabric and then put it down. He spoke "I wish I was good at Quidditch. Your so lucky Al, you get to play for Hogwarts."

"Hey, if you practice you could be as good as me, maybe better." Al replied trying to console his friend.

The door opened and the three boys looked over. It was Emily. "Oh, hey guys. Well done Al, its nice to be able to say my friend is on the Hogwarts team."

"Hey" they all replied at once before Albus added "thanks".

"Anyway, I'm wondering if you've seen Chloe, she was with Scorpius and Brian."

"No" Albus replied looking over to his friends who both shook their heads.

"Oh, okay. Thanks anyway guys." she turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Luke exclaimed. "How is ih' tha' you can get inta the boys dormitory?" he asked

"Ehmm, I dunno actually, I just walked up the stairs." she replied.

"I can answer that. The girls are allowed in our dormitory's but we're not allowed in theirs. You'd know that if you read _Hogwarts: A History_" Finn told them chuckling.

"Oh, right. Well, I'll talk to you guys later." Emily said before walking out and shutting the door.

Albus once again looked down at the bundle of robes that were on his bed. It still hadn't fully sank in that Albus was going to be the Hogwarts Seeker. He decided that he would sleep early, mostly because it was a long day for him and he was very tired. He pulled his hangings closed and dressed for bed. He settled into his bed and drifted into sleep.

Albus awoke the following morning and dressed quickly. He waited for Luke and Finn before heading down to breakfast. He was eating when Professor Kelly approached him. "Can you please come with me, Potter?" he asked.

Albus knew he didn't have much of a choice so he nodded his head. He got up and followed the Potions professor. They walked to the antechamber that was behind the Great Hall. Albus remembered being in here after he was almost chosen for the TriSchool Tournament. He followed the Professor where the Headmistress stood with James, the duelling team and the Quidditch team.

"Ah, Potter. Okay, I may begin. After classes today you will all attend the Weighing of the Wands ceremony. James, you along with the duelling team will have your wands checked to make sure they are working properly. The Quidditch team, you will have your brooms checked for any malfunctions. It will take place in the DADA classroom. You may go to class now." she said as she left the room.

The day passed antagonizingly slow. Albus was eager to see the other schools Quidditch team and who he might have to beat to the Snitch.

Classes finished and Albus went to the Common Room and retrieved his broom. He rushed straight to his father's classroom. He was one of the first people there. Slowly the room filled and soon there was over fifty people in the room. The last person to enter was a middle aged man with stringy blonde hair. He had a look of insanity about him. He sat down in the last remaining seat and Professor McGonagall stood up, ready to speak.

"Today, we are here for the Weighing of the Wands ceremony. Mr. Ollivander will check your wands while Mr. Edgely and his colleague Mary O 'Laughlin will assist him in checking all of you're brooms. First, if we can have the three champions. James Potter, Grace Simpson and Steven Warner please step forward and present your wands to Mr. Ollivander."

James pulled his wand from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Ollivander. "Ah, ten inches yes?" he looked at either end "unicorn hair?. And it is, ash. _Avis" _he said as a small flock of birds were conjured from James' wand. "This wand is working properly."

Steven next handed over his wand. "Twelve and a quarter inches, cherry and dragon heartstring." he said. "_Orchideous_" a bouquet of flowers were conjured from Steven's wand. "This wand is perfect. No problems."

Grace was the last to hand over her wand. He took it and looked at it, rolling it in his fingers. "Nine and a half inches. Willow and peacock feathers. That is a strange wand core." he didn't say anything he just waved the wand and orange sparks erupted from the wand tip. No problems here." he said as he handed Grace her wand back. You may begin with the broom as I continue with the Duelling teams. This may take quite a while.

Mr. Edgely stood up and beckoned the Quidditch teams towards him. "We will begin with our American friends first, then the Australians and finally our own Hogwarts Quidditch team."

The Americans walked forward and formed an orderly line. Okay, Linda Lewis first please to me and Paul Baker to Ms. O' Laughlin."

Albus was standing at the back of the Hogwarts line. He looked to his left, where the Australian line was formed. At the back of the line, there was a girl. She had blonde hair and was about the same height as Albus. He continued to stare and she looked towards him. "Hi." she said, half-confidently half timidly and Albus could hear her Australian accent.

"Hey" Albus replied.

"I'm Ashley Wilson, the Australian Seeker. My friends call me 'Lee." she replied.

"I'm Albus Potter, Seeker for Hogwarts. My friends call me Al." he responded.

"I'm in first year. What year are you in?"

"First year too." he replied

"Cool. I saw your catch in the first match. It was pretty awesome. I heard that was brother on the other team, is that true?" she asked

"Thanks and yeah, that was my brother and the rest of the team were my cousins." he told her.

"Really?"

"Ashley Wilson!" Mr. Edgely called.

Ashley picked up her broom and Albus could see it was the same as his. It would come down to skill and nothing more or less. Albus waited another ten minutes before his name was called. He watched as Mr. Edgely preformed non-verbal spells on his broom. He watched for a few minutes before he was handed back his _Firebolt _and told it was safe to use.

He was walking from the classroom when he heard his name. he turned to see Ashley. "It was nice meeting you Al and I just wanted to say good luck in the first match."

"Thanks 'Lee." he said smiling at her. "Good luck to you too. I'll see you around." Albus told her as they walked their separate ways. Albus was happy to make friends with someone from the other schools. He found out that she was a first year like him. He also thought that she was pretty nice. He just thought it was a shame that she would be against him. Albus continued his walk, thinking about everything.


	10. The First Round

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anyone from the Harry Potter series. I only own the characters I have created.**

**Authors Note: Don't skip this as its important to the chapter. I will be alternating between points of view in this chapter. This ** indicates a change in point of view.**

**10: The First Round**

"_We need it. The sooner, the better. I hear that the first round is beginning this weekend. Is that true?" the cool voice asked._

_The cold drawling voice responded "If my sources are correct, and let me tell you, they're hardly ever wrong, then yes the first round is beginning this weekend."_

"_Thank you. I think we could accomplish this sooner than we anticipated. I have spoken with our 'friends' at the school and much of Potters' family is involved including his two sons and many of his nieces and nephews. I will contact all of you as soon as possible."_

_With that, a black cape billowed before turning on the spot with a loud crack_

Albus awoke with a start. He was sweating and was also tangled in his bed covers. He looked around and saw Luke looking over at him. All of the other beds were empty. "You alright?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a strange dream."

"It looked like you were having a fit. I was on me way over to wake ya up." Luke replied.

"Oh.. Okay. Will we go down to breakfast?" Albus asked.

Luke grinned. "I thought ya'd never ask!" he told Albus

chuckling.

The two boys washed and dressed before trekking through the dungeons and arriving at the Great Hall a few minutes later. "Thanks for waking me." Albus said to Finn as he sat down beside his friend.

"No problem." Finn replied sensing the sarcasm in Albus' voice.

The three boys all smiled and chuckled. The day, and week in general passed pretty quick and everyone could sense the excitement building for the first round of the tournament. Albus told his father about the dream and his father said: "As a great man once told me: 'It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live'".

Albus thought about this and didn't think much of his dream after this.

The first task was not to be revealed until Saturday morning. The champions weren't to know until moments before. All anyone would know would be the venue and that wouldn't be revealed until Saturday morning.

Saturday morning came and James shared that he was worried about the upcoming event. He said that he didn't know what to do. He said that all he had been told was that all he was aloud to bring was his wand. Albus told him that he would have no trouble and he had faith in him. James seemed to be more relaxed by Albus' words of confidence.

"Okay, can all of the Champions please make their way from the Great Hall." the Headmistress announced.

The three champions rose from their respective tables and left the Great Hall to thunderous applause. The Gryffindor table seemed to be the most raucous.

"Now, the tournament always consists of tasks involving the elements. The first task will consist of the elements of air and water. It will begin at the lake. You may all make your way down there now." the Headmistress announced.

There was the noise of excitement and everyone bustling trying to get the best possible seats by the lake.

* * *

><p>**James sat alone in the corner of the small white tent. He was nervous and didn't even know what faced him. All he knew was that his wand had being taken the previous night. The Headmistress and other Head's entered the tent. Mr. Edgely and James' Aunt Hermione was there too. She looked over at him and smiled.<p>

It was Mr. Edgely who spoke. "Okay Champions, the time has come. I know you are all wondering what the first task is. The first task combines the elements of air and water. You will start at the lake. A Bubble-Head charm will be cast on each of you as you don't have your wands. Somewhere in the lake is a key with a tag that has your school crest on it. You must retrieve this key as the box it opens contains your wand. The second part of the task involves flying. You all own your own broomstick, yes?" he paused looking around. They all nodded their heads and so he continued. "You will have to fly through the rings that are placed in the sky. You will also face… other challenges in the air too. Good luck." he said cheerfully.

He left the room and Professor McGonagall spoke quietly and not as sternly as usual. "I know some of you may be better flyers or swimmers but that doesn't matter. You all have the chance to make history, you have a chance to make your school and yourselves proud. You all have a chance to help your respective schools win the first TriSchool Tournament and the winner of this will receive the TriWizard Cup. Good luck, to all of you."

She turned and beckoned for the group to follow. They obliged. James was the first to take his place on the platform on the edge of the lake. The Head's of the schools put the Bubble-Head Charm on their student. "On the sound of the cannon, you may start." Mr. Edgely announced.

The silence was tense and you could hear a pin drop. The cannon sounded and the three champions dived in and at the same time the crowd broke into a ear shattering shouting match between all the schools and houses.

James began to swim and looked around. He remembered the story his dad told him when he was in the TriWizard Champion. James couldn't remember the details fully because it had been a few years since he heard it. He did, however, remember that his father had to find the music of the me people to find Ron. He swan in search of this music.

He felt like he had been swimming for two hours when it had only been fifteen minutes. He hadn't encountered any of the creatures of the lake and thought that it must have been done purposely because they didn't have any wands. A few minutes later he heard music. He swam towards it. It got louder as he got closer. He went through the sea weed and swam into an open clearing. He looked and saw fifteen keys and five of them had a Hogwarts crest on the tag.

"I suppose they wouldn't make it easy for me, would they?" he thought to himself. He swam over and looked around all the while. He saw a few merpeople watching him from the sides of the clearing. He bent down to pick up all of his keys but once he got the second one on his hand one of the merpeople swam over to him and pointed their fork at him. "Only one at a time" he hissed at him. He glared at James menacingly and James dropped the keys and looked carefully at them. He thought about what the lock on the box looked like. He only got a quick glance but he remembered that is was silver and was small. He looked at the keys. There was three silver keys so he discarded the other two. He then looked at the size of them. One was very large so he then discarded that one from his options. He was left with two. He looked around and saw Steven swim in. Steven looked at his keys and tried what Albus tried. The outcome was the same. He then dropped all but one of his keys and swam away. Grace was the next to come, and fail in an attempt to take all the keys. Yet again, she failed. She did what Steven did and only took one key at random.

* * *

><p>**Albus looked around worried, it had been nearly forty five minutes since James had entered the water. Then Albus saw Steven emerge from the water. The entire group of Australians cheered as their Champion jumped out of the water and tried to unlock his box. He failed and tried again. He tried and tried and twice more, he failed. He put down the key and jumped back into the water. Just as he dove in, James' head came out of the water. James looked into the dark dirty water and saw Grace swimming full tilt underneath him. He swam to the edge but Grace got there first. She ran to her box and tried to unlock. She failed. She tried to turn the key in the lock but it wouldn't budge. She threw her black hair from her face and dove back into the water.<p>

James swam, savouring the applause he was receiving. He got out of the water. He had full confidence that the decision he made was the right one. He sauntered cockily over to the Hogwarts box and knelt down. He put the key in the lock and turned it. He heard the lock click and the lid of the box popped open. The crowd started to cheer and James rose his hand in acknowledgement.

* * *

><p>**James looked around. He put his wand inside his leg strap. The water dripped off James as he walked over and picked up his broom that was located around 20 metres further on from his box. He mounted it and kicked off.<p>

He soared high into the air. When he got up into the air he saw three different courses. Each of the first rings had a number on them. There was one with _1__st_written on. The other two had _2__nd__ and 3__rd_written on them. Since James was first he took the first one. Once he flew through the first ring it closed itself. Form either side a large piece of metal could be seen in the ring. It had _POTTER, HOGWARTS_ on it. As he neared the second hoop there were a small group of Cornish Pixies gathered around it. James slowed as he neared them. He was stationary in the air and then pulled out is wand. "Immobulus!" he shouted as all of the Pixies froze and dropped to the ground. He flew easily through the next two hoops encountering only a Jarvey, a small overgrown ferret like creature, which James blasted our of his way using _Reducto _and the third hoop was unguarded. The final hoop was guarded by… his father?

"What's going on?" James murmured as his father seemed to be floating in mid air. James looked taken aback. He didn't know what was happening. His father looked very angry and began to speak. His mouth moved but no sound came out. "Oh, it must be a Boggart." he said slapping his hand to his forehead. "What's that spell to get rid of a Boggart. "_Riddikulus!" _he shouted as the Boggart changed into his father getting giving out to ny his mother. James really did find that hilarious. He started laughing as he soared through the last hoop. He saw a red finish line on the grass. James went into a dive and pulled up before he reached the ground. He stayed on his broom and glided to the finish line. It was about five minutes after James crossed the line when Grace soared over the line. Steven was last, about a minute after Grace.

* * *

><p>**Albus saw his brother glide over the finish line and the entire school, minus some of the Slytherins, started cheering as they won the first task.<p>

"Now, the winner of the first task is James Potter of Hogwarts. Hogwarts will be awarded ten points. America will be awarded five points while Australia will receive two points. I think Mr. Potter's victory showed that slow and steady wins the race. He was the last out of the water but had the correct key. Congratulations to Mr. Potter and Hogwarts" Mr. Edgely finished.

The Duelling tournament passed and resulted in the Australians just beating Hogwarts to claim the ten points. The Australians were now second on twelve points, three behind Hogwarts. The Americans were now on ten points and in third place.

* * *

><p>The week passed and Oliver Wood put the Hogwarts team through their paces in what was their toughest practice session and their last before their match on Thursday. The sense of excitement peaked over the weekend and began to build again throughout the week. The first Quidditch match would be the Hogwarts pitted against their Australian counterparts.<p>

Thursday was a cold windy day but luckily, the wind stayed away. Wood made his final speech while Teddy and Ashley added their words of encouragement. The team wore their respective robes, the base colour of black with their house colours mixed in.

"Firstly, let us welcome the Hogwarts team. The Keeper is Dominique Weasley of Gryffindor. The Beaters are Gryffindor's Fred Weasley and Leo Stump of Hufflepuff. The Chasers are Jeremy Finch of Slytherin, John Samuels of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor's Molly Weasley. And the Seeker is Slytherin's own, Albus Potter!" Victoire finished and the entire Hogwarts support broke into applause as well as shouting and cat whistles.

"And their opponents today The Australian School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their Keeper is Lachlan Roberts. The Beaters are William Jones and Alicia Stone. The three Chasers are Alison Johnson, Katie Rhodes and Joshua Thomas. The Seeker is Ashley Wilson!" Victoire announced excitedly.

"We have a Ministry appointed referee Anthony Mason here as our referee. And the players have mounted their brooms and the Quaffle is in the air. Both Seekers have gone very high into the air and are circling the pitch. And Finch passes to Weasley who returns it and he shoots. GOAL! 10-0 to Hogwarts."

The match continued very much as it had started. The Quaffle was moved very quickly and the Keepers had to be on top of their games. The game continued and after twenty minutes it was 60-60. Visibility was poor and there was no sight of the Snitch. Albus was hovering high above his own goal and Ashley was doing the same at the other end. There was a glimmer of gold in the middle of the pitch and both of the Seekers saw it. They both had the same broom so it was only a matter of skill. The best Seeker would prevail. Albus and Ashley were going at full speed and neither was aware of the other. The Snitch was still hovering in the middle. Both seekers neared the Snitch and it swooped to Albus' right. They both tried to turn sideways. The succeeded but their momentum brought them together. Albus and Ashley both had their arms outstretched as they collided and fell from their brooms to the ground below. They were both low so it was only a short fall. The two Seekers lay on the ground. Albus, being left handed was on his better side to catch the Snitch and he had his left hand clutched. Ashley was right handed and had her right hand clutched. They lay, unmoving.

Ashley was the first so stir and she slowly sat up. She opened her right hand. In it was something no-one expected. It was a wing from the Golden Snitch. Albus stirred and everyone looked on in hope that he had the Snitch. He opened his left hand and, there, resting in his palm, was the Golden Snitch.

"Hogwarts win 210-60. Well done Al! That's a great catch!

The Headmistress walked onto the pitch and saw the two Seekers lying in obvious pain on the pitch. She wasted no time in conjuring two stretchers and assigning Professor Longbottom to take them to the Hospital Wing.

Albus lay on the stretcher as did Ashley beside him. They arrived at the Hospital Wing to the usual cries of "Quidditch! The game should be banned!"


	11. The Present

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series**

**11: The Present**

Albus sat up in his bed, bored from sitting in the Hospital Wing. He had been there since after the Quidditch match and was very bored. It was now Friday, and nearing noon. Ashley Wilson, who lay in the bed beside him, had been asleep for nearly the entire time.

"Hey 'Lee, are you awake?" Albus asked hopefully.

"I am now Al." she responded.

"Oh, sorry for waking you up" Albus said, sounding sincere.

"No, it alright. I probably shouldn't be sleeping so much anyway."

Albus chuckled. "I'm sorry for knocking you off your broom."

"It's not your fault. I don't blame you for not pulling out, I didn't either. We were both just trying to win." she told him.

"Well, at least our brooms are okay!" Albus exclaimed.

Ashley chuckled. "Yeah, I see that you have emerald and silver on your broom. Why is that?"

"Oh, it's for Slytherin, their colours are emerald and silver and I'm in Slytherin. My dad got it done for me."

"Is your dad the Professor Potter? Like Harry Potter, who beat Voldemort?" Ashley asked.

"Yep, that's him. He gets more credit then he really should though. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron helped him a lot and they don't get enough credit for helping." Albus told her.

"That's being really modest you know. Most people would take all the credit for their family if their Dad had saved the wizard world."

"Would you?" Albus asked.

"I'm not sure. I never really thought about it. Both my parents were pro Quidditch so all I ever grew up thinking about was Quidditch. My parents were really happy when I told them I got on this team."

"Well you deserved to get on the team. You're a brilliant player. My mum played pro Quidditch too. She was Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies."

"Wait, Ginny Weasley is your mum?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

"Well, Rose Weasley is your cousin right?" Albus nodded. "She told me her Aunt Ginny played for the Holyhead Harpies. I talk to her a lot."

"Oh, Rose hasn't talked to me much since I got sorted into Slytherin. All of our family has been in Gryffindor for generations. I don't think she has forgiven me for getting sorted into Slytherin."

"She has. She told me she's hoping that you will talk to her more. She just isn't sure what to do."

"Okay, I think you're both ready to leave now. How are you two feeling?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Yes" they both responded in unison with a lot of excitement. It was obvious that they were both bored of being in the hospital wing.

They were both released and as the classed were over for the day, they pair didn't have anything to do. Albus retreated back to the Common Room while Ashley headed for Great Hall.

Once he arrived back in the Common Room, there was only a handful of people gathered inside. It was a warm sunny day and, in November, everyone wanted to make the most of them. Luckily for Albus, his two friends were inside. Luke and Finn were sitting in their usual corner table and Albus made his way over to them.

"Hey guys." Albus said as he sat down beside his two friends.

"Al, hey! Well done! That was an awesome catch." Luke said extremely fast.

"Slow down mate!" Finn said.

"Hey, its okay. At least I could understand what he was saying. That's a good thing" Albus said with a chuckle.

"Leave my accent alone!" Luke said, trying to seem firm.

Professor Kelly entered the Common Room. "Everyone to the Great Hall now. The Headmistress has an announcement. The handful of people in the Common Room got up and did as they were told. Everyone wondered what the next announcement could possibly be. Albus, Finn and Luke sat beside Scorpius who was already in the Great Hall.

"Now that everybody is here, I can make my announcement. The Yule Ball will take place on December 23rd. e Yule Ball, for you who don't know, is a dance. Only students fourth year and above may attend, unless you are involved in the TriSchool Tournament or you asked by to attend by a student who is involved. Now, for those of you who wish to return home for Christmas, the Hogwarts Express will run on Christmas Eve.

It will pit America and Australia against each other. Good luck.

Enjoy your dinner." Professor McGonagall finished and sat down as food appeared on the plates in front of them.

"Hey, 'Lee!" Albus shouted as he saw Ashley Wilson walking from a classroom. Ashley turned around.

"Oh, hi Al. What is it?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Ball with me?" Albus asked. He let out a breath. He was nervous but wasn't worried. He had finally asked her. It was only a week till the Yule Ball and Albus was hoping that someone didn't ask her before him.

"Yeah, I'd love to!" she responded very enthusiastically.

"Really? Okay. I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall."

"Okay. See ya later." she said as she headed to her next class.

Albus was so happy. He, Albus Severus Potter, had a date to the Yule Ball.

December 23rd came and Albus was so excited. Unfortunately, neither of Albus' friends had been asked. Albus knew that was to be expected as he and Ashley were the only first years involved in the tournament.

Albus walked from the dungeons and waited in the Entrance Hall. Everyone was bustling around when James came over to Albus. "Hey Al, did you really get a date? A Slytherin, I assume?" James asked.

"I did get a date but its not a Slytherin. An Australian actually."

"Oh, that Seeker chick that you almost killed during the Quidditch?" James asked snickering

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Okay, I have to find my date now."

James walked off. Albus felt someone tip him on the shoulder. He turned around expecting to see Ashley. It wasn't.

"Mr. Potter, can you tell me where I might find your brother?" the Headmistress asked.

"He went that way." Albus said pointing his finger in the direction James went.

"Thank you Potter, you may go into the Great Hall when you're ready."

Albus felt another tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Ashley. Her blond hair fell to her shoulders and she was wearing a navy and white dress. "Funny", Albus thought "we end up wearing matching clothes". Albus was wearing navy and white robes.

Albus and Ashley locked arms and went into the Great Hall. They stood around the portion of the Hall that was marked to be a dance floor. Suddenly, the doors burst open and the three champions walked in. James, with Aoife Smith, led the group.

The three champions walked to the middle of the dance floor. The stage set up was empty. "Please welcome 'The Boy's Who Lived'". Three men came onto the stage and began playing slow music. The three champions danced and were next joined by the Headmistress and the Australian headmaster. The co-heads of the American schools danced together. When the song ended, almost everyone was on the dance floor. Albus and Ashley went and sat down. Only now did Albus take in his surroundings. The long house tables were gone, replaced by round smaller ones scattered throughout the Hall. There were many ice sculptures and the Hall was decorated with twelve Christmas trees, expertly decorated.

"Ashley-" Albus started as his date turned to face him "-are you going back to Australia for Christmas?"

"No, my parents are visiting my brother and his girlfriend in America. I'm staying here."

"Would you like to spend Christmas with me?" he blurted out.

"I'm not sure. I wouldn't want to intrude on any family stuff or anything."

"I'll ask my dad. My whole family is together, I'm sure Grandma Weasley wouldn't mind one more."

Albus got up and left Ashley by herself. He found his dad sitting by himself watching over proceedings. "Hey dad, would it be okay if Ashley spent Christmas with us. Her parents are visiting her brother and she would be here by herself because most of the others are going home." Albus asked, hoping his father would say yes.

"I see no problem with that. Tell her to be in the courtyard at half past ten in the morning."

"Thanks Dad."

Albus went back over to Ashley and told her the good news. They then went back and danced some more. Albus enjoyed himself and around midnight he and Ashley parted ways and went to bed.

Albus awoke the next morning. He saw it was nearly ten o clock and rushed out of bed. He dressed quickly, packed his trunk and ran from the dormitory, pulling his trunk behind him. He arrived at the courtyard and saw that his entire family, bar James, was there.

"Sorry guys, I overslept. It's hard when all of you guys are in a different dormitory and can't wake me up." Albus said, grinning. His entire family laughed, as did his Aussie friend. "Where's James?" he asked

"Take a guess." Harry said. Once again, the group laughed.

Twenty minutes later, James stumbled with his trunk to the courtyard. "Well, we've missed the train." Harry said.

"Sorry guys. Thanks for waking me." James said, stifling a yawn.

"Come on, we're going to use the Floo Network." Harry said as the trunks vanished with a flick of Harry's wand. The group walked to the Headmistress' office. The Weasleys went first, followed by Ashley and then James. "The Burrow!" Albus said clearly as he stepped into the fire. He closed his eyes and mouth and tucked in his elbows. Moments later he arrived at the Burrow. "Ah, Al. How are you?" Molly Weasley asked. Her hair had greyed but other than that, she hadn't changed much. "Everyone else is in the living room, including your lovely Australian friend." she said directing Albus out of the kitchen.

The evening passed and Albus, his cousins and Ashley talked all evening. Most of the questions were directed towards Ashley and what the Australian wizarding world was like. She answered them all happily. Grandma Weasley sent all of the children to bed after they had eaten. Albus had to share a room with James and Fred. It wasn't long until the three boys were asleep.

"Wake up Al, its Christmas." Lily shouted, shaking Albus awake.

"I'm awake" Albus told Lily. She stopped shaking him and the three Potters looked at their presents. Lily had brought her presents into the boys rooms. Albus looked at the one from his parents. It looked small and when Albus picked it up, it felt very light. He unwrapped it. The silvery smooth cloth fell onto his fingers. Albus looked at it in awe, his mouth hanging open. His father had just given him his Invisibility Cloak.


	12. Christmas at the Burrow

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other ORIGINAL material. I do own characters such as Ashley Wilson.**

**Author's Note: I've been getting messages, demanding this chapter. I thank everyone who has waited patiently for this chapter and so here it is. Pleas let me know what you think.**

**12:Christmas at the Burrow**

Albus didn't say anything. He stared, mouth hanging open, at the cloth in his hands. "What did you get?" James asked noticing that his brother had gone quiet.

"I got… I got…look." Albus said holding the invisibility cloak up for his brother to see. Albus found a note in the cloth.

_Albus, you probably know what this is. It belonged to my father and me and I am now giving it to you. I no longer have a use for this and think its time I passed it on to you. Use it well. _

_P.S. DON'T TELL YOUR MOTHER. _

"Wow! If you got something that good, I can't wait to see what I got since I am their favourite!" James said grinning as Albus shot him a distasteful look before smiling at his brothers comment. James heaped through the presents piled at the bottom of his bed until he found one from his parents. It was a small thin but relatively long. James ripped the paper off his present as his brother watched on, wide eyed.

"It's just a lump of parchment." Albus observed. Indeed it appeared to be nothing more than some old parchment but a grin spread across James face. A note fell out and James read it:

_James, you probably don't know what this is but I know what you're like. This will help you in your mischievous ways. To operate it, simply say "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" and tap it with our wand. When you're done tap it with your wand and say "Mischief Managed". This belonged to my father before your uncles found it and passed it on to me._

_P.S. DON'T TELL YOUR MOTHER ABOUT THIS. _

Albus and James realised that they had just received their fathers most treasured possessions. They also realised that their mother had no idea what they got from their father. The two boys presumed that their parents hade got them another present.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" James said. Astonishment and surprise came across his face. Ink filled the page and the castle and grounds of the castle spread onto the page. "Mischief managed" James said as he tapped the parchment with his wand. After a few moments, the page was blank again.

"Well, what is it?" Albus asked.

"It's the Marauder's Map. A map of Hogwarts." James said, still unable to believe he had really got the Marauder's Map.

"James! Albus! Wake up, its Christmas!" Lily shouted as she ran into the room and stopped abruptly, seeing that the two boys were awake.

"Hey Lil'" James said, in his usual cool tone, trying to disguise the joy from receiving the Marauder's Map. He didn't want his sister to find out because she would probably tell their mother. Albus had smartly thrown the duvets over the boys newest treasures.

"Hi Lil, very late for you on Christmas morning!" Albus said, chuckling slightly.

"Mom wouldn't let me wake you up because she said that you would be tired because you had been up late the last few nights. I've been up for ages!" Lily responded.

The three Potters all grinned at each other, James and Albus exchanged glances but their sister didn't notice. Lily threw the boys presents at them. Albus, showing his Seeker reflexes, was quick enough to move out of the way of the flying parcels. James on the other hand wasn't awake enough to dodge, he simply put his hands up to block the presents. Albus picked up a rather large and square parcel from the pile. It was very heavy and Albus opened. In it he found, a large book and a card.

_Albus, I think it important that everyone read this book at some stage during their time at Hogwarts._

_Hope you enjoy it_

_Hermione_

Albus looked at the book title. _Hogwarts: A History_.

"You get the Hogwarts book from Aunt Hermione?" James asked. Albus nodded. "Yeah, I got that last year, never read it though." James told Albus. Albus took another parcel, this one poorly wrapped in orange paper along with the Chudley Cannons crest on it. Albus knew this was from his uncle Ron. Nobody else supported the Cannons. Albus opened it and saw a broom care kit in the parcel, along with a note scribbled in his uncle's handwriting.

_I know Hermione got you a book, but I know that this will be of much more use to you._

_-R_

Albus could only laugh at his uncle. It was typical Ron to do this. James and Lily looked over to him but Albus waved them away. Albus continued opening his presents. He got a homework planner from Percy, George gave him a stock of products from his shop, Bill gave him a practice Snitch. It had been enchanted to stay within set boundaries. Albus looked at the last present, it was from his parents. He opened it slowly. Albus looked down. Lying on the bed was a box. It wasn't much larger than his hands. Albus lifted the lid. Inside he found a new pair of Quidditch gloves. They were what Albus thought to be Dragon hide. He was right. Albus lifted the gloves from the box and found the arm guards underneath them.

"What did mum and dad get you?" Albus asked James.

"I got a Broom Care Kit! You?"

"I got Quidditch gloves. I got a broom kit from Uncle Charlie"

"I got Quidditch gloves from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione."

"Hey boys, mom says you have to come down for breakfast" Lily said re-entering the room.

"Okay" the two boys said in unison. James and Albus left the room and followed their sister down the several flights of stairs to the kitchen.

"Hello boys, just eat what you want, its all on the table." Grandma Weasley told them. Albus sat down and tucked into a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. As Albus started eating, Ashley sat down at the table across from him. She began eating a small breakfast. Harry entered the room, saying a good morning to James, Albus and Ashley. "Ashley-" Harry said as he removed a small square parcel from his robes "-we, the Potters that is, got you a present. Here." Harry said handing the parcel to their Australian visitor.

"Thanks…" Ashley said unsure of if she should call Harry by his name or by Professor since he was her Professor. "But I didn't get any of anything."

"That's quite all right Ashley. You don't have to get us anything."

"Thanks." Ashley said, placing the parcel carefully on the table and continuing to eat. Harry left the kitchen and not long after James finished his breakfast and departed.

"Did you get stuff from your parents?" Albus asked.

"Well they told me that they'd send it to Hogwarts so I'm going to have to wait till I get back to get it. Your family is really nice Al, even if they are a bit crazy.

Ashley finished eating and opened the present she received from the Potter family. "Oh my gosh, thanks so much Al!" Ashley said. "I just lost my broom care kit."

"That's really no problem.

"Have no fear Albus Severus Potter the great Teddy Lupin is here!" Teddy announced as he marched through the kitchen door. He looked around. "Sorry Al, am I interrupting a moment with your girlfriend?" he asked grinning.

Albus blushed. "No, we were just leaving. Ashley this is my dad's godson Teddy Lupin, Teddy this is Ashley Wilson, she's the Australian seeker."

"Oh yeah, I knew you looked familiar. You're the one that Albus mauled during the Quidditch match."

"Hey! It was an accident! I didn't mean to hurt her!"

"He's right. It was just a thing that happens during Quidditch."

"Anyway, we're starting a Quidditch match now and I came in looking for another seeker. James wants to play Chaser with your parents. We've too many Seekers now and we're a Beater short."

"I can play Beater." Ashley said. "I tried out for Beater and was on the team but there was no Seeker and I was fast, small and good at catching."

"Great, you're going to be with James, Harry, Ginny, Al, Dom and Louis."

"Who's on the other team?" Albus asked.

"Ron, George, Fred, Roxanne, Molly, Lucy and yours truly."

The group of three retrieved their brooms and headed outside where the other eleven were awaiting. It was an overcast day but it didn't look like it would rain. The clouds weren't too dark and it was, according to Teddy, average temperature.

"Okay, I've sorted the teams. Dom, Harry, Ginny, James, Albus, Louis and our Aussie friend will be one team. The other will be Ron, Roxy, Molly, Lucy, George, Freddie and the greatest Seeker here."

"I told you I'm sitting this one out!" Charlie said to him as everyone laughed. The fourteen players mounted their brooms and kicked off. The match was been officiated by Angelina and considering her husband, daughter and son were all on the same team, it would be hard for her to be impartial. The game started and Albus noticed it was much more laid back and a much slower pace than at Hogwarts. Albus' team was leading and it was the presence of Ginny, who hadn't lost any skill since retiring. The three younger Chasers couldn't keep with her pace. Albus also thought that Ashley was a very good Beater and since nobody was family to her, she didn't have any worries about hurting a relation. The game became more competitive as it went on and Ron was determined to keep out his sister and best friend. Albus and Teddy had not seen the Snitch at all. Albus was, however, the first to see a glimmer of gold. Teddy saw it as well and the two began their pursuit. Albus' early lead was cut by Teddy and Albus, remembering what Teddy had told him, flew straight across Teddy and blocked him from passing. Just as Teddy flew up to try and get over Albus the Snitch fell downwards and sent Albus into a dive. Albus pulled up and dismounted from his broom. Teddy landed beside him and Albus had his left hand raised. The rest of the players landed around Albus congratulating him.

"I think I thought him too well this year. Al, you do know that you were supposed to use that against Ashley when ye played Australia. I told you that."

"Teddy, stop taking credit for a talent that Albus has inherited from his father, not as good as me though" Harry chuckled.

After the Potter biased team won the Annual Quidditch Match, the group trekked inside. Droplets of rain began to fall and this hurried everyone inside.

Albus and Ashley were the last two inside and Albus gestured for Ashley to follow him. Ashley did so. The adults went into the sitting room, while James led the younger children into the kitchen. Albus and Ashley stopped just outside the kitchen and Albus turned and faced his Aussie friend. "I just thought that you should know that at dinner, Percy and George leave a seat between them because that's where Uncle Fred should be. He died in the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Oh, okay. I'll remember not to sit there."

"Now, lets see what's going on in here." Albus said before turning and pushing open the door and going into the kitchen.

"James, go in and get the adults. Its dinner time." Grandma Weasley said.

James did what he was told and returned to the kitchen followed by the flock of Weasleys and their partners. They all took their seats and, as per usual, there was a seat left between Percy and Fred.

After a huge meal cooked by Molly, Ginny, Hermione and Audrey, the adults retreated back to the sitting room to allow their dinner to digest, while the Potter and Weasley children left, mostly to avoid the washing up, and went upstairs. They discussed what they could do. Suggestions flew around the room, before Ashley was asked what Australians do for fun.

"Well, we do everything all of you have already said. There's not much different we do.

Albus suggested a Wizards Chess tournament. Everyone seemed to be in agreement.

"Okay" James said. "Fred, I'll play you. Louis you can play Ashley. Al you play Roxanne and Rose you play the loser of me and Fred because there's only seven of us. Everyone knew Albus and Rose were the two best players in the family, excluding Ron. James narrowly beat Fred. Louis was cocky before his match with the Aussie but Ashley beat him without too much effort. Albus, as expected beat Roxanne easily enough and also as expected beat Fred. Albus then beat Fred, again easily enough. The match between Rose and Ashley was extremely close. Ashley just made a silly mistake that allowed Rose to narrowly win. That was one thing which everyone, except Ashley, knew. If you make a mistake against Rose you will be severely punished.

The final between Albus and Rose was again close. The pair exchanged pawns before Albus dealt the biggest blow so far by taking Rose's knight and then, her bishop. Rose hit back taking the two knights, a bishop, a castle and the remainder of Albus' pawns in quick succession. This led Rose to an expected victory. Only when Ginny came in and told them to go to bed, did they realise how long the last couple of games had been. The children went to bed.

Albus and James went back to their room, taking off their good clothes and putting on their pyjamas. James put on his scarlet and gold pyjamas, while Albus had his emerald and silver pyjamas.

"_It's Christmas now. You have not come forward with anymore plans. We are running out of time."_

"_We have loads of time. We don't need it until July. That is when he plans to return." responded a cold drawling voice._

"_He cannot return if we haven't figured out how to do it. We need it as soon as possible. I will let you return to your family for Christmas. We will speak soon."_

Albus felt someone slap him hard on his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw James and Rose. James raised his hand, as if to slap Albus again.

"James!" Rose shouted. "He's awake! Don't hit him again!"

"Why did you hit me?" Albus asked groggily.

"I thought you were having a fit. You were twisting and turning and we thought we should wake you up."

"Well, you didn't have to hit me. That hurt. And I'm alright now thanks for asking."

"Oh, that's good." Rose said.

Albus remembered that he hadn't talked to Rose in a while. Albus thought she was giving him the cold shoulder. Albus rolled from his bed. He was bathed in sweat and the bed clothes were strewn all over the floor.

"Is dad here? I need to talk to him."

"No, he got an owl from McGonagall. He said it was urgent. Him and Teddy are gone to Hogwarts. He said they'd be back later on."

"I wonder what's so urgent that he and Teddy… wait, why did Teddy go with him?"

"The letter dad got said that Teddy has to go too." James said.

By this stage Rose had left the room and it was just the two Potter brothers left in the room. Lily burst into the room. "Al! James! Dad is back and he said that he needs to talk to you two in the living room." Lily said, all in one breath.

James and Albus exchanged glances and tentatively left the room. Albus and James walked slowly down the stairs and went into the sitting room. Already waiting in there was their father and Teddy Lupin, along with Dominique, Louis, Fred, Roxanne, Molly and Lucy. Victoire and Rose were also there. "Okay, as you may or may nor know, Teddy and I were called to Hogwarts by Professor McGonagall. There we took the decision that, because of the TriSchool Tournament, the House Quidditch and Duelling Championships will be discontinued. It's too much work on all of ye." Harry raised his hand. "Don't argue. This decision is final. Professor McGonagall is sending out the letters to all students now. You won't get one, I told her that I would tell you."

"Not to mention we have the entire Gryffindor team and the best Seeker Slytherin ever had." Teddy contributed.

The group left the living room and dispersed around the house.

The weather declined steadily and Grandma Weasley refused to let them outside to play Quidditch. The days passed slowly and Albus had to find things to do to pass the time. The day before Albus was scheduled to return to school, he knew he needed to confront Rose. He needed to talk to her. He knew he had his friends in Slytherin, Luke, Finn and Scorpius (Kind of), but he needed his cousin back. He needed someone he could talk to when he was worried or just had problems to tell someone. He didn't always want to go to his dad. Just as he thought of this he remembered the dream he had and he had forgotten to tell his dad. Albus went to the room Rose was staying in, formerly his mother's room, and knocked. "Come in." came Rose's reply.

Albus entered the room and sat down on a chair that was at the desk. "Rose?" Albus said. Rose, who was reading a book lying on the bed, looked up. "Why have you been ignoring me in school? You haven't talked to me all year. Is it because I'm in Slytherin."

"I'm so sorry Al. I was scared when you got sorted into Slytherin. You were the only person I knew and I wanted you to be in Gryffindor, but you were put in Slytherin. Then, I was going to ask the Sorting Hat to put me on Slytherin so I could be with you. While I was being sorted the Hat wanted to put me in Hufflepuff because I was being loyal to my friends, it wanted to put me in Ravenclaw because I was smart but because I'm a Weasley, I was put in Gryffindor. I wanted to talk to you but I was scared I would have no friends for talking to a Slytherin. I'm sorry. From now on, I'll talk to you more. I'll still hang out with my own friends but I'll hang out with you too."

"You should, Luke and Finn are really nice" Albus said.

"Maybe you could hang out with me and my friends some more too." Rose suggested.

"I'd like that." Albus replied, nodding his head in agreement with Rose's suggestion.

Albus noticed that it was late, so he retreated back to his bed and slept early. Albus, lay in bed, thinking about Christmas. He thought about making up with Rose, the cancellation of the House Quidditch and Duelling. He also remembered the dream. The last thought that Albus thought about was the end of Christmas and going back to school tomorrow. He thought about Ashley, who seemed to have genuinely enjoyed her Christmas. Albus was happy that his foreign friend had a good Christmas and wasn't left alone at Hogwarts. Albus felt like he had done a very nice thin. With these thoughts, Albus drifted into a deep sleep.


	13. The Kitchens

**Disclaimer: The usual stuff here. I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K Rowling, I'm just using it.**

**13:The Kitchens**

Albus awoke the following morning. He felt refreshed. It was relatively early. The Potters and Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo were the only people left. All of the other relatives had gone on to visit other family members, notably, Bill and Fleur were gone to France, as usual and returned last night. Albus got up and looked over to his brother. He wasn't surprised that James was still asleep. Albus wanted some payback from the day after Christmas. Albus walked over to James' bed. He slapped James across the face. James awoke, startled.

"What the bloody hell did you do that for?" James asked looking towards his brother.

"I needed to wake you up" Albus shrugged.

James didn't say anything more. He turned away and began piling all of his things into his trunk. He was careful to fold the Invisibility Cloak and tuck it away in the bottom left hand corner of his trunk. He threw everything else into the trunk and closed it up. All he left out was a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He dressed and went down to the kitchen. There he found his mother, aunt and uncle as well as his sister and two cousins.

"Where's James?"

"I woke him up. He might be packing his things. Who's bringing us to the station today?" Albus asked

"I am. Your dad gave me the day off." Ron said.

"Really?" Albus asked again.

"Well sort of. He left me in charge of doing the working hours and stuff like that while he's gone teaching so I gave myself the day off." Ron replied chuckling.

"Ronald! How could you take advantage of Harry's trust like that?" Hermione asked, dumbfounded at what her husband had done.

"Relax. I'm here to bring them to King's Cross and you and Ginny can do whatever you want."

Albus, at this stage, had finished eating. "Go and get James, will you Al?" his mother asked.

"Yeah! I never understood how people can be so lazy in the morning, especially when you're going back to Hogwarts." Ron said.

Ginny and Hermione both looked at him, contemplating who would speak first. It was Ginny. "Oh Ron, don't act like you were always perfectly on time. We nearly missed the World Cup because of you."

Albus got up, not wanting to be involved in this discussion. He walked up the several flights of old stairs and entered the room he and James were staying in. Albus didn't bother to knock, and walked straight in. "James, mom says you have to hurry up."

"I'm ready. I'm ready" James said. He was throwing anything and everything he could find into his trunk. Ashley, on the other hand, already had her trunk left in the kitchen the previous night. She had kept to herself lately, and Albus presumed that she was getting slightly homesick. He had gone and talked to her and she said she had a brilliant time but Albus could tell she was upset not to see her family..

About half an hour later, the Potters, James and Albus, and the Weasleys, Rose and Ron, and their Aussie friend, Ashley,

had packed their magically expanded car. Rose sat in the front beside her father while James and Albus sat in the back along with Ashley who sat in the middle.

Ron, who was driving, drove like an absolute maniac. He hardly ever paid attention to traffic lights. Albus was nearly one hundred percent sure that his uncle must have confounded the examiner to get his license.

"Stupid muggles, can't respect the superior driver. They're always bloody beeping." Ron would say every so often.#

Eventually, after Ron's anger at the Muggle drivers, they arrived at King's Cross Station. Albus, Rose ,James and Ashley each on a trolley and pushed them onwards, towards the barrier. James went through the wall between platforms nine and ten, followed by Rose.

"Al-" Ashley said and Albus turned to her. "What are we doing?"

It hadn't occurred to Albus that Ashley had never been to Platform 9 ¾. "We're going onto the platform so we can get the train back to Hogwarts. They can't have in view of the Muggles so they had to hide it. Merlin, you're such a silly blonde!" Albus chuckled. Ashley smiled at him. Ashley, directed by Albus, walked through the barrier. Albus followed, close behind her.

Albus looked at Ashley. She had a look of disbelief on her face. "How do the Muggles not find this? All this, just metres away from the Muggles!" Ashley exclaimed. She was in too much of a state of disbelief to move so Albus had to push her to get her moving. That seemed to do the trick. Ashley began moving. James had already gone to meet with his friends. Albus could see Rose hugging someone but he couldn't see who. Albus looked around the platform, for his friends, preferably Luke and that's exactly who he saw. Luke, his short hair, seemed to be even shorter. Albus and Ashley walked towards Luke. Luke appeared to have seen them as he waved them over. "How are ya Al? Did ya enjoy Christmas?"

"Yeah, it was great. Luke this is…" but Albus was cut off as he tried to introduce Ashley.

"I know who you are. You're the wan that Al nearly killed in the Quidditch match, right?"

"Yep. That seems to be how everyone remembers me. I'm Ashley Wilson. You're Irish, right?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, I'm Luke."

"I love Irish accents. They're… I dunno, they're just awesome!" Ashley said.

Luke turned to Albus. "Al, what's with people and Irish accents? First you and Finn, then Zoey and now Ashley!"

"I honestly have no idea" Albus chuckled at his friend.

"Hey Al!" Ron shouted. "You better not miss the train. I don't want your mother giving out to me. Go on, get on board" Ron continued. He took out his wand and levitated the trunks onto the train. Albus, Luke and Ashley jumped on board. They now had the difficult task of finding a compartment and pulling their trunks along. They walked along the corridor as the scarlet engine set off. Albus lead the way and he came to a compartment with only two people inside. It turned out to be his cousin Rose and her friend Alison. Albus opened the door and poked his head in. "Mind if we sit in here? Everywhere else seems to be full?"

"Who's us?" Alison asked.

"Me, Luke and Ashley" Albus slowly responded. He seemed taken aback as his question had really be directed at Rose.

"Yeah no problem." Rose said before her friend could say anything.

Albus turned and pulled his trunk into the compartment. His two friends followed him. They put their trunks under the seats and sat down. "You're Luke, right?" Rose asked.

"Yep! And you're Rose, correct?" Luke asked.

"Yes. This is Alison" she said to Luke and Ashley.

Alison was next to speak. "You're from Australia, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm Ashley."

"What's different between school in Australia and at Hogwarts." Rose asked.

"Well, we don't get split up like ye do. Our castle isn't as big as Hogwarts. Well, that's all I can think of. I was only there until the middle of October." Ashley responded.

"Oh, is it nice there?" Rose continued to probe.

"Yes it is. I think Hogwarts is nicer though."

This probing continued. A lot of information about families was exchanged. Albus and Rose knew pretty much everything about each other and they contributed a lot to each other's family. The main questions, however were directed towards Ashley. They found out that her brother had gone to America to become an Auror like her father. Her brother didn't want to become an Australian Auror because there were never any huge cases to get involved in.

The group realised that darkness had fallen outside and the train began to slow. Albus remembered back in September he feared being sorted into Slytherin. Since then he had been sorted into Slytherin and he really liked it there. He had been given the cold shoulder by Rose but had since made up with her. He had made some great new friends in Luke, Finn, Scorpius and the Aussie Ashley.

The train meandered and eventually came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. Albus hadn't seen Finn, and Finn hadn't even come looking for them during the train ride. Even Scorpius, who Rose despised and the feeling between the two was mutual, had popped by to say hello. Albus was worried that something happened to his friend. By time they had arrived in the Great Hall, Albus was so hungry he had forgotten about his friend. He ate and ate and ate until he was full. He noticed that his fathers seat was empty. He remembered that his uncle said that his father had gone into the office. The students were dismissed but as Albus was making his way out of the Great Hall, he heard someone calling his name. He turned around to see his brother running behind him.

"Al, McGonagall wants to talk to us. She told me to get you."

"What did you do this time James?" Albus asked.

"I didn't… Hey! Come on." James said waving his arm as he turned. Albus had no choice but to follow. James led him to the Headmistress' office.

Albus wasn't sure what this was about. James stopped at the door. "Damn, I dunno the password" he said, scratching his head. "Any ideas Al?"

"I think I can help." said a voice from behind. Albus and James turned around to see their father. Even more surprising was that Finn was accompanying him.

"Finn!" Albus said.

"Percival" Harry said. The stone gargoyle jumped out of the way. Harry walked onto the staircase followed by his two sons and Finn Riddle.

Harry knocked on the large doors and received an "Enter" from the Headmistress. He pushed open the doors. The Headmistress sat behind her desk and looked up. "Ah, Potters. Riddle?"

"Oh yes Headmistress. I can explain all this. I have been in the Three Broomsticks for some time. While there I met Mr. Riddle. He explained to me that he overslept this morning and missed the train. He decided he would Floo to Hogsmeade and go to the castle from there. I said I would accompany him but we should wait until after dinner so he wouldn't be seen by too many people. He ate in the pub and then came up here. I received your summons on the way here."

"Albus Potter-" Professor McGonagall said. "-does Mr. Riddle sleep a lot?" she asked.

"Oh yeah" Albus said. "He's nearly always the last up in the morning."

"Very well Riddle you may go."

Finn walked from the office, closing the doors behind him.

"I think you should all sit down." the Headmistress said. Albus and James sat in the two chairs that were placed their side of the table. Their father conjured a chair. He wasn't great at conjuring objects so it was a very simple wooden chair.

"Potter, you never have improved have you?" Professor McGonagall asked. Harry smiled at her. "Now, I received news from London earlier. They tried to contact you at your office Potter but you had left. I was asked to pass on the news. Anyway, the goblins at Gringotts informed me that someone attempted to break into your vault. I was informed that nothing was taken. It is unknown who did this. I felt your children should know because the vault is also in their name."

Harry's face turned white. It wasn't extremely pale, but it was noticeable. He knew first hand that it was possible to break into Gringotts. He had done it. "Thanks Professor. Is that all?"

"Yes that is all for now Potter. You may all leave."

Albus, James and their father got up and left the room. "Goodnight boys."

Albus and James didn't say anything. They split at the Entrance Hall. James went toward Gryffindor Tower while Albus retreated to the dungeons. Albus wondered why someone tried to break into their vault in Gringotts. He knew there was lots of gold in there, having been there a few times. His father never exactly received the warmest of welcomes when they went to the wizard bank. He knew nothing had been taken so he wondered what they could possibly want. He thought it may have something to do with his dreams but he doubted it.

He arrived at the common room quicker than he expected. He stopped at the blank stretch of wall. He didn't know the new password. He was full sure it had changed after the break. He sat outside, in hope more than expectation that someone would come out. Albus waited for what felt like ages but it was only about thirty minutes. He grew tired and wanted to sleep desperately.

The door opened and Albus looked it. It was Luke. "Al! What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I didn't now the password. Where were you going?"

"Eh, I was… I was going out to look for you." Luke stammered.

"Where were you really going?" Albus asked.

"Fine, I wasn't looking for you. When Finn came back he told us about you being in the Headmistress' office. We didn't know why you were there. I was really going to the kitchens. I'm starving and Scorpius gave me directions."

"Come back in. I have a better way, you definitely won't get caught."

"Slughorn" Luke said after he had turned and faced the wall. The door appeared and Luke and Albus walked in. The common was empty. There was the dying embers of the fire dimly lighting the room. "So, what plan do you have that we definitely won't get caught."

"Come on up to the dormitory." Albus said. The pair walked up to the dormitory and Albus went over to his bed. He bent down and opened his trunk. He didn't have to rummage. He carefully moved the clothes away from the corner of the trunk. He reached into the bottom corner of his trunk. He pulled out the light silvery cloth.

"What's that?" Luke asked in almost a whisper.

"You'll see. Come on. We'll go out of here." Albus said in the same quiet tone that Luke had spoken in.

The two boys walked out of the room and down the winding staircase. They walked back into the Common Room. It was still empty and the fire had now died completely.

"Luke, this is an invisibility cloak. My dad gave it to me for Christmas." Albus said once they had arrived into the large room. "Come on. Get under it with me." Albus continued as he put the cloak over and himself and then Luke. The pair were now invisible, covered by the light, silvery cloth.

Albus and Luke had to walk slowly as they found out, otherwise the cloak would flap up and their feet would be seen. The boys were slow in getting to the Entrance Hall. "Luke?" Albus asked. "What did Scorpius say?"

"Go in the direction the Hufflepuffs go." Luke said. The two boys weren't sure.

"It's that way, isn't it?" Albus asked pointing in the direction of a staircase.

"It's worth a go." Luke said shrugging his shoulders slightly.

The two boys walked slowly, the only noise was that of their feet lightly hitting the stone floor. The hallway was dimly lit and the boys continued walking. "Scorpius said that when we get to a painting of a fruit bowl, we have to tickle a pear." Luke said in a whisper.

"Look" Albus whispered. There, in front of them, was a painting of a fruit bowl. Luke and Albus seemed to have lost their stealth as they walked quickly and quite loudly over to the painting. Luke stretched his arm and tickled the pear in the painting. It squirmed and giggled before a green doorknob appeared.

"Seems that we went the right way." Luke said grinning.

"I never doubted you Luke" Albus replied sarcastically.

Luke pulled on the doorknob and the painting opened. Albus and Luke walked in. Soon they were standing in the kitchen. It was a high ceilinged room. There were mounds of pots and pans, mainly brass, heaped on the wall. At the opposite end stood a stone fireplace.

"Young masters. It is very late for you to be here. I am Misty. What can Misty do for you?" the house elf asked. Albus thought that the elf looked much younger than Kreacher. They had the same large, tennis ball eyes but Misty didn't sport any hair from her bat like ears.

"I'm hungry, have you got any deserts?" Luke asked the house elf.

House elves rushed to Luke, all carrying trays of various deserts. Luke looked at them all, unsure of what he would eat. Luke eventually decided to eat small bits from three or four of the trays. As Luke ate, another house elf approached Albus. It looked very much like Kreacher, old, lots of hair sprouting from the bat like ears and wrinkled skin.

"Harry Potter?" the elf said in a low gravely voice.

"No, I'm… I'm… his son, Albus."

"Ah yes, you look quite like him."

"Alrigh' I'm full now. Let's go now Al" Luke said.

"Yeah, okay." Albus stammered out still staring at the elf who had now walked away and was at work at one of the ovens.

The two boys walked out and back to the dormitory.

"Wow, you two really went to the kitchen?" Finn asked, again.

Albus and Luke had told Finn and Scorpius about their trip to the kitchens but were careful to leave out the invisibility cloak. "Yep" said Albus yet again.

"And the elves do everything you say?"

"They have to, it's their job to do what their master tells them and since they're working here, I suppose all of us are their masters" Albus said.

"Really, I should try this out" Finn said.

"No you shouldn't, the three boys responded straight away."

"Well if you don't mind, I'm hungry so I am going fro breakfast." Scorpius said getting up and walking from the dormitory.

The other three followed suit. Albus hadn't told them about the house elf either. He found it very odd that the elf thought he was his father. Everyone knew his father so that didn't surprise Albus.

After breakfast, classes resumed. Fortunately for Albus he had his favourite class, Potions. Albus and the rest of the class had arrived but Professor Kelly had not. The door of the dungeon classroom opened and it wasn't Professor Kelly that walked in.


	14. Round Two

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series.**

**Author's Note: As with the previous chapter, this * indicates a change in point of view between James and Albus.**

**14:Round Two**

Professor Potter walked through the doors. "Unfortunately, Professor Kelly was injured last night and will not be here today. Please go back to your Common Rooms. The rest of your classes will continue as normal" Harry said.

He left the classroom and all of the students packed their things and followed behind him. "What do you think happened to him?"

Albus saw Professor Parker walk around the corner and into the dungeons. "Where do all you think you're going? You all have class" he growled.

"Professor Potter told us to go back to our Common Rooms because Professor Kelly wasn't able to take class today." Rose replied as she was the first in the line of students.

"Oh Professor Potter said it, did he?" growled Parker rhetorically. "Back to your Common Rooms then-" he continued to growl at the students "-except you Potter. You're coming with me."

Albus stopped and turned around to face his least favourite Professor. "What did I do, sir?" Albus asked as the worry grew in his chest.

"The Potions professor asked me to fetch you." he continued to growl.

"Oh, alright." Albus said following Parker.

"Professor Kelly is in the Hospital Wing. Go and see him now. Its his orders." Parker said and walked away, most likely back towards his office.

Albus didn't dare disobey his least favourite Professor because he knew the feeling was mutual. He knew that if he didn't, he may well end up on detention and he didn't want to give Parker an excuse to punish him. Albus trekked to the Hospital Wing, it didn't take him too long to get there. The doors were open and Albus walked in. There was only one patient and Albus knew it was his Potions professor. He walked over to the bed and Professor Kelly turned his head and looked at Albus. Albus was the first to speak. "Professor Parker said you wanted to see me."

"Yes, yes. You're the best in the class and I want you to help your Slytherin classmates. I don't know how long I'm going to be in here so for tomorrows class, you and your fellow Slytherins will continue. You will help any one should they need help."

"Why me, Professor?" Albus asked.

"As I have already said, you are the best in the class."

"I don't even know how I'm so good at Potions. My dad told me he was terrible at it."

"Maybe your flair lies further back, do you know who Lily Evans is?" he asked and Albus shook his head. "Ask your father and go to the trophy room. That will answer your questions."

"Well, thanks Professor." Albus said getting up to leave. His Professors left arm and leg were heavily bandaged so he acknowledged Albus' departure by nodding his head. Albus left the Hospital Wing and hurried back to the Common Room.

Albus had finished dinner and went to his father's office. He knocked on the door and received a call of "Enter". Albus pushed open the door and saw his father sitting at his desk, hunched over a stack of parchment. He looked up and saw his son. "Al, what are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"Well, I was talking to Professor Kelly earlier, he wants me to help the Slytherins in the class but that's not why I am here. He told me to ask you who Lily Evans is."

"Ah, he was telling me you were great at Potions. Lily Evans is my mother, your grandmother. He seems to believe that you have been given her talent at Potions. She was, from what I have heard, one of the best in the school at Potions.

"But, I still don't understand." Albus said.

"Many people believe that talents skip a generation or two. Paul, Professor Kelly to you, is one of these people. He thinks that you have received her talent in Potions and according to some of the other teachers, her talent in school completely. James on the other hand seems to have inherited a talent from his grandfather of the same name. Anyway, have you ever been to the Trophy Room Al?" his father asked him. Albus shook his head. "You should go there sometime and look at the academic awards that the school hand out. Also, look at the Quidditch ones too." Harry said smiling and also, rising from his chair. "It is dinner time for me, so I would appreciate if you didn't stay in my office."

Albus got out of his chair and followed his father out of the room.

The month of January rolled on with little event. Albus and Rose ran the Potions class in Professor Kelly's absence. Rose took the Gryffindors while Albus was in charge of the Slytherins. It was about two weeks back to school when Professor Kelly returned to class.

January turned to February and with it the weather improved slightly. It wasn't as cold but it still rained often and the temperature was relatively low. The wind, however, didn't seem to be as strong. February 1st was a Thursday. The second round of the TriSchool Tournament would take place over the next three days. It would began with the Quidditch match between Australia and America, the duelling tournament would take place on Sunday and the second task would take place on Monday.

Albus wasn't nervous because he hadn't any part. He knew James had been practising hard, all sorts of different spells that could help him. Albus did want to watch the Quidditch match, the Seeker in particular.

The two days passed quickly. Some of the teachers were nice enough to give them no homework while others piled it on, reminding them that they exams at the end of the school year.

Saturday afternoon, 2.p.m. to be precise, came quickly, quicker than Albus thought they would. Albus, with Scorpius and Luke, went down to the Quidditch pitch. Finn hadn't been feeling well earlier in the morning and was in the Hospital Wing. The referee was once again appointed by the Ministry of Magic, Gerald Forrest was his name.

The game started and ended rather quickly. The game hadn't been on five minutes when it was ended. The Australian side had raced into a lead of 50-0 with goals Katie Rhodes and Joshua Thomas. It was then an uncontested catch for the Australian Seeker Ashley Wilson. She was high above her own goal, and the American Seeker, John, the brother of Champion Grace Simpson, was doing likewise. Ashley saw the Snitch at the base of the post and went into a dive. The Snitch seemed to be coming towards her and she caught it and then pulled out of the dive. The referee blew it up and the final score was 200-0 in Australia's favour. That gave the Aussies ten points and they moved to 22 points, just three behind Hogwarts in the standings.

Albus had no real interest in the Duelling tournament the following morning but went along because Luke wanted to see it. It was, or so Albus thought, quite boring. He watched as Hogwarts and Australia came to the final duel, with the winner taking the full ten points.

Albus was upset to see Hogwarts lose. This put Australia in the lead for the first time with 32 points. Hogwarts moved up to 30 points. America were rock bottom on just 9 points.

*James walked out of the dormitory and down the stairs into the Gryffindor Common Room. He was greeted with a round of applause and people shouting messages of good luck. He walked through the Common Room and jumped through the portrait hole. He descended the many flights of marble staircases. He didn't even go into the Great Hall. He had been told to go to the Headmistress' office for directions on the next task. By time he got there, Professor McGonagall was waiting at the gargoyle which had already been moved aside. "In there Potter, Mr. Edgely is waiting for you."

James made his way up the spiral staircase and, when he reached the top, the doors were open and he continued to walk in. Mr. Edgely was sitting idly on the desk while swinging his leg slightly. The other two, Steven and Grace, were sitting in two outside chair while one between them remained open. They were both playing with their hands. Mr. Edgely looked up. "Ah, Potter, nice of you to join us." he said.

"Now, I am going to explain the next task here. Firstly, no magic is allowed for the first part of the task. Please give me your wands." he said as he stretched out an arm in which James, Grace and Steven placed their wands. "You will have to earn your wands for use in the task. That will be part of the challenge." he paused and looked at the three Champions.

"The second task is a test of endurance and then a battle of wits." he said and then dived into the explanation of the task.

"The first section is a Muggle endurance course and the second part is… Actually, I'm not supposed to tell you what it is. You have to rely on your own skill." he said pocketing the three wands and showing them out the door.

*Albus, Luke and Scorpius walked from the Great Hall. Finn hadn't been released from the Hospital Wing until late that morning and he told the others to save him a seat and he would catch up with them. Scorpius' blonde hair blew slightly in the stiff breeze. The three boys pulled their robes tighter and pulled their emerald and silver scarf closer to their necks. They continued to walk remembering the announcement from Albus' father. They would be going to the Dragon Pavilion area, an arena built for the first task when his father was taking part in the TriWizard Tournament.

The boys finished the long walk and took their seats.

*James stood in a white tent. Only he and the other two champions stood there. A canon sounded and that was the signal for the champions to emerge. The white tunnel stretched for what felt like forever. Finally it came to an end after about five minutes of walking. James emerged first followed by the Australian and then the America to a thunderous applause.

There were three separate lanes, and each had the crest of the respective school. James looked ahead of him. He saw nets, tyres of cars, a large wall with a rope draped over the front. James didn't want to know what was behind the wall. He looked at the ground in front of him, it was marshy and James knew his robes wouldn't be clean for long. Mr. Edgely stood behind them and he started counting down. "Three-" James looked left and right, "-two-" James focused straight ahead, "-one" James readied himself and then there was the shrill blast of Mr. Edgely's whistle. James took off on the outside lane. Grace and Steven seemed to be stunned and James was at the net before either of them had started. James dropped onto all fours and started crawling through the net. The marshy land made it difficult to move and the other two had quickly caught up to him. He clawed through the soft ground but by time he got out of the long stretch of netting, he was second behind Steven. He proceeded to jump through the tyres and close the gap. He continued to run towards the large wall. He jumped and grabbed the rope and used all his strength to pull him to the top. He grasped the top of the wall and rolled over. He slid down the steep side of the wall and landed, feet first, into a puddle of muck. It didn't bother him as he got up and continued to run through the soggy ground. He wasn't looking and he fell over the edge. He could see a black and white chequered tape not too far from him. He fell and landed on a soft tangly plant. It was dark and damp and the plant began to constrict James.

*Rose sat with Albus and his friends as they watched James get off to a fast start but fall back to second place. They watched him fall down the steep slope of the wall and into the puddle of muck. "He's doing well. He's first!" Rose exclaimed as James started running. "He better be careful, the next bit is the drop into the dragon pavilion. I hope James remembers to pick his wand out of the box. But James didn't. He ran straight by it and fell over the edge. He landed on the Devil's Snare. James didn't have his wand and he was struggling against the Devil's Snare. Steven on the other hand had stopped and pulled his wand from the box. An announcement sounded "Ms. Simpson has withdrawn from this task. She will receive no points. Reason for withdrawal is, as of now, unknown." Everybody had fallen silent for the announcement but the noise levels picked up as soon as it finished.

*James remembered what Professor Longbottom had said one evening in his house when he had brought a plant similar to this. "This is Devil's Snare" he thought. "It doesn't like the light but I don't have a wand." he murmured to himself.

"RELAX JAMES! JUST RELAX!" he heard Rose scream over the noise of the crowd. James had no other plan so he took Rose's advice. It was a rarity that Rose was wrong. James started to relax and he felt the vines loosen. After a few seconds the vines released him completely and he fell through. James landed on the cold stone floor beneath. There was a flash of bright white light and Steven fell through the Devil's Snare but landed on his feet just as James got to his. "Here Potter" he said, throwing James' wand at him. "I want to win this task fairly" he continued as he marched forwards and James followed him. Once again, the dragon pavilion was separated into three separate tunnels but the entrance to the American one was closed off. James and Steven headed off down their respective tunnels when James came to a locked door. "Alohamora" James said pointing his wand at the door but it was a futile effort, the door didn't budge. James then remembered about the wand box. Surely there was a key or something in that. James stepped back and raised his wand. "REDUCTO!" James shouted and the door burst open, broken off it's hinges. James ran through only to find Steven there first. There was a single door in the large circular room. On the door was a note.

_I will not open easily _

_You must now use your wits_

_This favours no one_

_Not even the Brits_

_This tests your cunning_

_Your courage _

_And intelligence_

_Now, here is what to do:_

_Find the cup_

_That contains the key_

_Only one may pass through_

_One victor to be found_

_One loser must remain_

_This decides the winner_

_Only one can escape_

"What do you think it means?" Steven asked.

"It looks like only one of us can survive. Only one can get through."

"We've got to look for the cup that contains the key."

Only when James looked closely that there were engravings on the wall. James looked closer and they appeared to be numbers engraved onto the walls of the circular room. James went back and reread the riddle. "One, one, one" James repeated quietly every time he read the number one. Surely he had to look for the number one on the wall. James took the chance and found the number one engraved onto the wall. He looked around and saw Steven reading the riddle repeatedly. He moved closer to the number and tapped it slightly.

*Albus was worried. He had seen James enter the Dragon Pavilion thanks to Rose. He watched as Steven had burst through it and handed James his wand. The two then disappeared down their respective tunnels and it had been ten minutes and they had still not emerged. Albus sat, shaking slightly, hoping that James would be victorious. He knew they were in the final because Grace withdrew. "What do you think is going on in there?" Luke whispered to Albus

"I think its some sort of mental challenge, maybe" Scorpius butted in.

"I was thinking that too" Rose said.

"There ya go, that's what is happening" Albus said.

*The number one in the wall began to rotate to reveal a cupped hole. Glowing inside was a key. James took the key as the cup rotated and closed again. Steven had got up and was walking around the room. James slowly edged towards the door as he turned the key in his left hand and his wand in his right. He put the key in the lock and turned it. The door clicked open and James pushed it and ran out. Steven turned when he heard the lock click and ran towards the door. The door was slowly closing. Steven dived and slid out the door just before it closed and vanished. Steven got to his feet quickly and grasped his wand tightly. "Stupefy" he shouted aiming at James. James quickly fell to the floor as the light flew over his head. Steven had closed the gap which was now only at about two metres, in James' favour.

James knew he needed to cast a spell. He turned and pointed his wand at Steven. "Impedimenta" James shouted. The Aussie slowed considerably. James got to his feet and rushed to the finish line where he collapsed onto the ground. He was exhausted. The judges gathered into a huddle once Steven crossed the line

* "Yes!" Albus shouted jumping to his feet as James was first over to the line.

Mr. Edgely pressed his wand to his neck as the judges huddle broke. "Sonorus" he said and his voice became magically amplified as it boomed out. "Mr. Potter has won the task and will be awarded ten points" he paused for the applause as well as the cheering from the Hogwarts students. "Mr. Warner finished second and will receive five points. However, we have decided to award and extra two points to Mr. Warner for great sportsmanship. This means that Hogwarts will battle Australia in the final to take place at the end of May. Both schools are tied on forty points. Unfortunately, the American school have been eliminated from the tournament but will remain with us until the end of the school year." he finished his announcement.


	15. Bad News

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

**15: Bad News**

Everyone seemed to be congratulating James but no one had bothered to ask what went on in the small room from which he emerged closely followed by a diving Aussie. Albus, however, was different he wanted to know what happened. As the crowd made its way back to the castle Albus and Rose elected to stay behind. They waited until everyone had finished talking to James and approached him.

It had grown considerably darker since the end of the task, this was just a representation of how long James had been talking to teachers and Ministry officials, as well as their father. James saw them and walked to meet them.

"Al, Rose." James said. "Why did you hang back for me?"

"We want to know what happened once you disappeared down that tunnel."

"Well," James began taking a deep breath and preparing to divulge his tale to his brother and cousin. "You saw me getting my wand, right?" They both nodded and without realising, they walked towards the castle. "Well anyway, I went down the tunnel and came to a door. I used _Reducto_ to burst open the door. I went through and came into a bug circular room. There was a riddle on the door out and numbers engraved onto the wall. I sorta guessed at the solution to the riddle, it kept repeating one so I found number one on the wall and I found the key. I didn't close the door properly so Steven was able to get out. That's it." James concluded his story with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You do realise that you have to go head to head with him in the final. You need to start training. My dad told me that when your dad was in the tournament, the final round was a maze, you had to find the cup. It's always been a maze and I don't think they'll change it." Rose finished matter-of-factly.

By this time they were back in the Entrance Courtyard. They entered the castle and walked into the Great Hall. Everyone turned to see James, Albus and Rose. The entire Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables as well as most of the Slytherin table broke into applause for James' victory. Albus split from his brother and cousin and sat on the table at the far left, beside Luke, Finn and Scorpius. James and Rose sat at the Gryffindor table beside the rest of their cousins.

Professor McGonagall stood up and the Hall fell silent. "Tonight we have no visitors, it is just ourselves. We will have a feast to celebrate James Potter's second task victory which has propelled Hogwarts into the final. Tuck in" she said sitting down as food filled the four House tables.

* * *

><p>It was the last class of the day. Albus sat down in the Transfiguration classroom as he waited for his least favourite Professor to start the lesson his least favourite subject. "Sit down. Take out your wands and books." Professor Parker said as he walked into the classroom and sat down behind his desk. "Continue reading and then put the theory into practise."<p>

Albus read the chapter and then, reread it. Twenty minutes later and Albus had failed in Transforming anything. Professor Parker didn't provide any help for him either.

As the class was drawing to an end, Professor Parker walked around examining their work. Before he started on his usual walk, he made an announcement. "Tonight, I want twelve inches of parchment summarising the chapter you just read."

The class knew better than to complain and watched as Professor Parker started his walk around the room. He looked at everyone's work, commenting on some and just nodding or shaking his head at others. "Potter" he said as he reached Albus' desk. Albus looked up at his professor. "You have made no progress, again." he said. "You will practise and succeed in our next class."

"But sir, you're not giving me any help" Albus blurted out. There was an intake of breath as the students waited to see what would happen.

"Detention Potter. Seven sharp tonight, my office."

Albus knew better than to complain any more. The bell sounded and Albus packed his bag and left the classroom. "What was that about Al?" Luke asked.

"I dunno. He always gives out to me but never gives me any help. Its just not right."

"At least he didn't give you detention tomorrow. You have that challenge match against the Americans." Luke told him

"Yeah, I wouldn't like to see Wood had I got detention. Not to mention James could take my place. He's the reserve Seeker. No way I would want that." Albus replied as the pair walked back to the Common Room

The evening pressed on and Albus and Luke were joined by Finn. Scorpius insisted on being alone because he wanted to study for the end of year exams. The other three were surprised that Scorpius was taking the teachers word. The majority of the teachers were telling them that their exams were only around the corner and they should be studying every evening. "Its only first year" Luke would say and Albus and Finn would agree.

They finished most of their homework, except for the essay for Professor Parker. They all wrote roughly six inches before deciding it was dinner time.

The walk to the Great Hall was filled with people and the three boys were talking about what Professor Parker could possibly make Albus do for his detention. It was only six so Albus knew he had loads of time.

Albus ate the roast beef dinner and desert of treacle tart. It was Albus' father favourite desert and Albus had naturally developed a liking for it. At quarter to seven Albus parted with Finn and Luke (Scorpius had shown up for ten minutes to eat and then went back to the Common Room.) as Albus headed to the Transfiguration room and his two friends went back to the Common Room. Albus arrived at the classroom with five minutes to spare. Professor Parker was already there. "Potter, followed me" he said standing up and walking from the classroom. They arrived at the Trophy Room after what Albus thought was a long walk. "This is the Trophy Room, Potter. You're going to clean all these trophies" he said gesturing to the left hand wall. Your brother done the other half when I had him in detention." he said. "No magic." he said throwing Albus a rag and a bottle.

Albus knew that this would take him a long time and started straight away. He cleaned about ten trophies and his left hand was already starting to ache. He was cleaning academic awards trophies. He found one that interested him. He looked at it. It was awarded in 1977.

_1977 Excellence in Potions Award_

_This was awarded to: _

_Lily Evans_

_Severus Snape_

"Lily Evans" he murmured "Severus Snape. They went to school together. My grandma and one of the men I'm named after." Albus continued to murmur to himself. He cleaned this trophy particularly slow, taking in everything. He put the trophy back, it was now gleaming back at him.

He was cleaning for two hours and neared the end. He had started at the back and the trophies became more recent. There were five that interested him greatly:

_1998 Special Services to the School_

_Awarded to:_

_Harry Potter_

_1998 Special Services to the School_

_Awarded to: _

_Hermione Granger_

_1998 Special Services to the School_

_Awarded to:_

_Ronald Weasley_

_1998 Special Services to the School_

_Awarded to: _

_Neville Longbottom_

_Ginny Weasley_

_Seamus Finnegan_

_Luna Lovegood_

_1998 Special Services to the School_

_Awarded to:_

_All those who fought in the Battle of Hogwarts_

Albus cleaned all the trophies and finished after about three hours of tedious cleaning. Professor Parker looked at Albus and their eyes met. A searing pain went through Albus' head. "Where is it? We know you know, tell us" Albus heard the voice ringing in his head.

"You may leave Potter." Professor Parker growled at him.

Albus wasted no time and rushed back to the Common Room. Despite the relatively late hour, the Common Room was fairly full. The fire was roaring and everyone were talking. The mood seemed to be that of extremely happy people and Albus wasn't sure why. Albus was also far from happy after his three hour detention with his least favourite professor. He was still wondering what that voice in his head was about. He put that from his mind as he walked to the dormitory. His friends were already there and he quickly raised a hand to stop them from asking questions. He walked over and collapsed onto his bed. The hangings were open and he put his hand up. "Okay, hit me with the questions." Albus said, lying on his back. He had never been so tired.

"What did ya have to do?" Luke asked.

"Clean half of the trophies in the Trophy Room." he said. "Without magic" Albus was quick to add.

"That's harsh." Finn said.

"I agree" Luke said. "Find anything interesting?"

"Found a trophy for my dad, mom, aunt and uncle and some family friends for Special Services to the School in 1998. That's about it." Albus replied sitting up in his bed and getting out his pyjamas. He quickly changed and got into bed, pulling the hangings shut.

* * *

><p>"Okay, I know this is only a challenge game but we still have to perform and we still have to win." Oliver Wood was giving one of his famous pre match speeches. Albus sat with the rest of the team. "The conditions aren't perfect but they're not terrible either. Now get out there and win!" he shouted as the team rose from their seats and walked out.<p>

"Welcome to the challenge game tonight as Hogwarts prepares for the final. Weasley, Weasley, Stump, Finch, Samuels, Weasley and Potter line out for Hogwarts."

The game started and Albus flew freely. He circled high above the pitch a few times before stopping, hovering, above Dominique defending the Hogwarts hoops. Hogwarts had raced into a 30-0 lead. Molly scored twice and Atticus had scored the third to give Hogwarts the lead. The game continued in this vain as Hogwarts scored five more and the Americans responded with one goal. Twenty minutes in and Hogwarts were 190-20 points ahead. Just as Albus looked around, he saw that there was a glimmer of gold in the middle of the pitch. He set off towards it. "And, I think Potter has seen the Snitch."

Albus ignored these words and continued to fly. He loved the feel of the wind in his hair and he neared the Snitch. "And the Bludgers are with Mickelson and Byrd who both aim at Potter."

Albus neared the Snitch but the Bludger closed in on him. He managed to avoid the first Bludger. "And something extremely rare has just happened. The Bludger has hit the Snitch and broken the wings of the Snitch. And… oh! The Bludger hit by Byrd has struck Potter in the side and knocked him from his broom."

Albus felt the ball connect with his side. It hit him in the rib cage and he was winded. He was falling through the air. "Aresto Momentum!" a voice sounded. Albus' momentum was slowed as he made contact with the ground, right am first and his left arm clutching his ribs. Everyone was on their feet and looked towards the teacher's tower. Professor McGonagall was on her feet and she was putting her wand back inside her robes. "This match is over" she announced.

Professor Kelly was first one the pitch and had conjured a stretcher on which Albus was lying by time any other teachers were there. "I'll take him Paul." Harry said.

"Okay, it is your son." Professor Kelly replied.

Harry flicked his wand and walked along with the stretcher gliding beside him. "You alright Al?" he asked as they walked back up to the castle.

"I hurt my ribs and my wrist."

"Its okay, Madam Pomfrey will fix it."

They walked through the castle. Albus was unsure why he was on a stretcher, he could walk perfectly fine. The stretcher glided into the Hospital Wing. "Potter, what is it this time?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Quidditch" Harry answered as Albus was moved onto a bed.

"What did you hurt?" she asked Albus.

"I hurt my ribs here." he said gesturing to his left ribs "and my right wrist."

"Are you right or left handed, Mr. Potter?"

"Left" Albus replied.

"Okay, I'll take a look at those ribs first. Take off that top." Madam Pomfrey replied. Harry helped Albus to gently remove his top. Madam Pomfrey started poking Albus' bare skin, starting at the top rib and working her way down. When she got about half way, Albus let out a cry of pain. "I'm sure that it's broken" she said. Albus' breaths had become shorter because of the broken rib. Madam Pomfrey moved her wand over it, murmured a spell to herself. A weight seemed to be lifted from Albus' chest as breathing became easier.

"Thanks, that feels loads better" Albus said.

"I thought it would. It may bruise a little, that's almost impossible to stop but I have minimised the bruising. Now, give me a look at that wrist." she said, taking Albus' wrist her hand. "This is broken too. Badly broken." She did the same as she did to his ribs and the pain eased. "I'd still like to wrap it up and give you a sling for support. Madam Pomfrey dressed his hand in bandages and gave him a sling.

Albus was alone in the Hospital Wing and he realised it was cold. He also remembered he was still topless and pulled the blankets up to the base of his neck. Luke came through the doors and sat beside Albus' bed. " Here" he said. "Thought you could do with them". Luke handed Albus his pyjamas and Albus wasted no time in putting the top on. Oliver Wood and Teddy were next in.

"When are you back playing?" Wood asked Albus.

"I dunno, Madam Pomfrey didn't say anything."

"Ah, Wood. What is it you want?" Madam Pomfrey asked as she walked towards the growing crowd around Albus' bed.

"When will Albus be able to play again?"

"His wrist was badly broken and it was his weak hand. His ribs are not in the best shape either. I'd give it two to four weeks." she said.

"I'm sorry Albus, but I don't think we can wait a month for you. I think James is going to have to replace you."

"No!" Albus and Teddy exclaimed at the same time.

"I can coach him, talk tactics, position play" Teddy said.

"I'm not sure. We'll talk about this later. For now Albus, consider your position on the Hogwarts team suspended. At this moment in time, we have no Seeker. Teddy, the Headmistress and I will talk this over. For now, I'll leave you to rest." he said leaving the Hospital Wing. Teddy followed suit.

"My patient needs rest. Will you leave or will I make you leave, Mr. O' Brien?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Please give me ten minutes" Luke pleaded.

"Oh, alright. You have ten minutes and then you have to leave." Madam Pomfrey informed Luke. She walked back over to her desk where she sat down and was soon hunched over paperwork.

"This isn't good." Albus said. "How can he even consider replacing me? It's not fair if he does"

"I know Al. I think Teddy and Professor McGonagall will talk him round though. I know they will."

"I hope you're right Luke. I wouldn't mind a few trainings where I can talk about tactics with Teddy. We can find a strategy to use against Ashley."

"That's what you really should be doing anyway." Luke said. "You should figure out how to beat her without nearly killing here." Luke said grinning.

"That wasn't funny Luke and I got hurt too." Albus said, suppressing a smile.

"Out, Mr. O' Brien" Madam Pomfrey said.

_**Follow me on Twitter for updates: Potterhead1234**_


	16. Happy Birthday

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other original material.**

**A/N: Please let me know what you think of the story.**

**16: Happy Birthday**

"Dad" Albus said. Albus sat in the bed furthest from the door in the Hospital Wing. It was the morning after the Quidditch match and Albus' ribs were still hurting. His breathing was fairly shallow but not as bad as the previous night. Albus' ribs were badly bruised and Madam Pomfrey had administered various potions that were said to help Albus.

"What is it Al?" Harry asked. Harry had returned before the start of the morning classes.

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay."

"When I was in detention-" Albus started but was cut off by his father.

"-you were in detention?" Harry asked, glaring menacingly at his youngest son.

"Yeah, with Parker but that's not what's important."

"I see. Continue."

"Anyway when he looked at me, and I at him, I got a really bad head ache. And I heard this voice, it was like an echo."

"What did the voice say?"

"Ehm… I… I can't remember." Albus said unsure whether or not he should tell his father what he had heard.

"Okay Al, I have to go now." he said, standing up. He gently hugged his son and walked out of the Hospital Wing. Albus was once again, alone. Madam Pomfrey came over, carrying a large goblet.

"Take this. It's difficult to brew but Professor Kelly was more than willing to do so. This should stop the bruising. If it works correctly, you may leave this afternoon." she said handing him the large goblet.

Albus took it in his hands and looked into it. It was an orange colour and it didn't look appealing to Albus. "Well drink it." Madam Pomfrey urged him. Albus brought the goblet to his lips and drained it in three mouthfuls. "It takes about two or three hours to work completely. I'll check back then and you might be leaving. He handed the goblet back to Madam Pomfrey and she retreated back to her office.

Albus could feel his breathing levelling out and the swelling and bruising in his ribs reducing. About two and a half hours of boredom for Albus, Madam Pomfrey came back. Albus had already lost the bandages around his wrist and he didn't require the sling. He had no pain in his wrist. "Lift your shirt, Potter." Albus followed orders and pulled up his shirt. She examined his side. "Still a bit tender. It's alright to leave but I want you to check back with me this day next week." She walked away from Albus and left him to put on his robes that his father had left for him. Albus packed his things and left. "And remember Potter, no Quidditch until I say so." she shouted after him just as he walked out of the large doors.

"Yeah, I remember." he replied. "That's if I'm still on the team" he murmured to himself angrily.

It was dinner in the Great Hall and surprisingly, Professor McGonagall stood to make an announcement. Silence fell in the Great Hall.

"I have been given the official go ahead by the Ministry to tell you this. As most of you probably know that this May, the twentieth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts will be celebrated and the Ministry will celebrate this. Professor Potter will tell you more." she finished sitting down as Harry stood up.

"As Professor McGonagall has said, the twentieth anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts will be celebrated on the second of May this year. The Ministry wanted to erect a monument in the area where the Battle was ended but then they remembered that it ended in this very Hall. So, instead the Ministry has been working all year on a monument and a celebratory event that will take place on May second. This will happen down by the lake. Anyone who took part in the Battle of Hogwarts will be invited and anyone who wants to attend, will also be welcome. Now, we will elaborate more on this closer to the time but the Ministry felt it was time to tell you. We also tell you this because this area is now out of bounds to all students while the work is done to prepare it for the event. Thank you." he said. Harry sat down. Albus knew his dad didn't like to talk about the Battle, he knew his father had so many bad memories.

Three days after the Quidditch match and the announcement about the event, Oliver Wood called another Quidditch practice. Albus hadn't heard any news whether he was on the team or not so he went down to the pitch, unsure what would happen. He walked into the changing rooms. The other six team members didn't look at him. "Weasley" Wood said. The three Weasleys looked up at him. "Dom, I mean. Take them for a warm up."

The team followed Dom out of the changing rooms and Albus could hear them walking to the tunnel.

"Now, Albus-" Wood started but Albus cut him off.

"Did you replace me?"

"Do you see a replacement here?" Wood retorted. "We didn't replace you. It was a tough call, Teddy and myself talked it over with Professor McGonagall. She decided that it was only fair that the entire staff vote on this because it was the Hogwarts team and they were part of Hogwarts. We explained the situation and had a private vote. It was an almost unanimous result on favour of keeping you as the Seeker. Now, until you are given the go ahead to get back onto a broom, you and Teddy will talk about tactics and devise two different strategies you can use against Ms. Wilson when we play Australia. Understand?"

"Why two?" Albus asked.

"So that if they're watching our practice consistently, you will not be repeating everything you do." Teddy said.

"Exactly. It makes you less predictable, they'll be unsure of how to defend against you." Wood said before leaving the dressing room.

"We're gonna stay in here Al because it's pretty cold outside."

"Alright. Where do we start?"

"Firstly, its position. In all the games you've played, you linger around the hoops. That's become predictable for the Aussies. You need to mix it up. You have a few options. First one is to fly high and circle the pitch. Another is do what you have done, and stay behind your hoops. The last and least used one is to stay in the middle of the pitch, either high or low. That's difficult though and the best way to do that is to try and watch the Snitch from the moment its released and catch it quickly. You gotta be fast to do that."

"Which one did you use?" Albus asked.

"I switched between circling the pitch and staying behind the

hoops. They're the two we're going to use against Australia."

The tactics discussion continued and Albus actually grew tired of it. Only when he heard the other six team members sit down and shivering from the cold outside. "How come Potter didn't train?" Leo Stump asked.

"Because he was injured in the last game and we're also devising a strategy for the final." Teddy butted in and Leo didn't say anything after that.

Albus was given the go ahead to play Quidditch again and he and Teddy had devised what they thought were two perfect strategies. The Professors were now warning them that they should be studying hard for their end of year exams. Albus wasn't behind on his homework, he got it done easily but he choose not to study and instead focused on Quidditch.

* * *

><p>February rolled on uneventfully and March brought an interesting scenario. He was tired from a Quidditch practice the night before and little sleep so after eating a quick lunch he went back to the dormitory. He walked in to find Brian writing a letter. "Hi Brian" he said walking over and falling onto his bed.<p>

"Hey" Brian said not lifting his head from the parchment.

"Writing home?" Albus asked as he tried to get comfy in his bead.

"Does it matter to you?" Finn snapped.

Albus didn't reply. He just lay in his bed, thinking what had Finn worked up.

* * *

><p>April brought the first glimmer of summer sunshine. April was, in the past anyway, Albus' favourite month simply because his birthday was on the fourteenth of the month. Luke had insisted on getting Albus a present but Albus had always said that Luke shouldn't bother. Albus didn't like when people made a fuss over his birthday, at least that's what he said. In fact, Albus loved the attention he got from his birthday at home. He rarely got much attention because he was normally a quiet child and it was James' misbehaviours that got the attention.<p>

Albus' birthday was on a Saturday this year so he didn't have to worry about classes. He decided he wouldn't do any work on his birthday. The week leading up to his birthday was quite uneventful. He did his homework and kept on top of it so he could celebrate on Saturday. On Friday, Albus got a note from Mr. Wood that there was a Quidditch practice on Saturday morning at eleven. "Quidditch practice on my birthday." he said to himself as he walked to the dormitory earlier than he had planned but he needed to be up early the following morning.

Half past nine the following morning, Albus reluctantly got from his bed and dressed. He slung his broom over the shoulder. The walk was slow for Albus and he arrived into the Great Hall about twenty minutes later. He was still tired and not fully awake. There were only a handful of people sitting at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. Albus recognised Emily, one of the girls in his year. He went over and sat beside her. " Morning Al" she said cheerily, she was much more awake than Albus was.

"Hi Emily." he said between yawns.

"You're not usually up this early, are you?" she asked, smiling at Albus.

"Not usually on a weekend but Wood called a Quidditch practice so I have to be." he replied stifling a yawn.

Albus ate bacon, eggs and some toast. "See ya Emily." he said departing the Slytherin table and leaving the Great Hall. He walked down the hill, the bottom of robes getting wet from the dewy grass. He was the third person into the changing rooms behind Dominique and Atticus. "Happy Birthday Al!" Dominique said cheerily when she saw enter. He sat in his usual seat in the corner and pulled on his Quidditch robes.

"It's your birthday?" Atticus asked. Albus nodded sleepily. "Well, happy birthday Al."

"Thanks" he said, sitting and waiting for everyone else.

"Out, the others are on their way down. Al, you're training alone with Teddy today. He's out there now, waiting for you."

Albus got up and walked out. He mounted his broom and took off. This was only his third practice since his injury. He loved the feel of the wind in his face. He did two laps of the pitch and was about to start on another one. "Get down here. I want to talk to you first." Teddy shouted up at Albus. Albus went into a dive towards Teddy and pulled out of it just before he hit the ground. "Nice skills." he said as Albus dismounted from his broom and walked over to Teddy. Just as he did so, Teddy had conjured two chairs. The looked comfy enough, they were hard backed but had a cushion resting on them. "Firstly, happy birthday Al. I have your present and I'll give it to you later."

"Thanks Teddy" Albus said.

"Now, I told Wood that we'd do some tactics but I really just don't want you doing too much on your birthday, unless you want to."

"Yeah, I'll do some flying."

"Alright, I'm going to release the Snitch. You will wait a minute and then try and catch it. Alright, there it's gone." Teddy said as he flicked his wand and opened the box containing the Snitch. It whizzed around their heads for a few seconds before flying off. "Okay Al, mount your broom." Albus followed instructions and swung one leg over the broom and gripped the handle. "Go!" Teddy shouted. Albus kicked off hard and flew high, higher than the rest of the team who were practicing. He began circling the pitch, looking for any glimmer of gold. He kept circling and had probably done three or four rounds when he saw the Snitch. He went into a dive. He rolled the broom to avoid Atticus and pulled out of his dive. It was finished in a matter of seconds as Albus stretched out his arm and tightened his left hand around the golden ball. He flew back over to Teddy and handed him the Snitch.

"I think that's enough. You definitely have the hang of circling above the pitch."

"Okay, I'll see you later. Dad said to meet him in his office today."

"He probably just wants to give you your present. How's the Invisibility Cloak going?" Teddy responded to the puzzled look on Albus' face. "Your dad was going to give it to me but I said no. I told him that he had to give it to you or James when the time was right. He told me he gave it to you this Christmas.

"Its alright. I've only used it once."

"Where did you go?"

"The kitchens. Luke was hungry one night and we went down to get him some food."

"I remember the first time I went to the kitchens. It was awesome. All the elves just do… actually they have to do everything you say." Teddy said smiling and reminiscing about the occasion.

Albus knocked on the door of his father's classroom. "Come in!" came the shout. Albus opened the door and was stopped dead in his tracks by what he saw. His father, brother, Teddy, his cousins and friends were sitting in the classroom. "Happy birthday Al" his father said as he slowly walked into the classroom. The Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom looked only vaguely familiar. There was a large banner hanging that read "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL". The classroom was also decorated with other party objects; balloons, streamers and all that. "Come in and sit down." There was a large round table in the middle of the room which they were all sitting around. Albus walked over and sat down. He looked around the table. He started at Luke and moved onto Scorpius, Finn, Teddy, James, Victoire, Dominique, Louis, Fred, Roxanne, Molly, Lucy, Rose, Hagrid, and his father sat around the table. Albus felt a pang of guilt in his stomach as he hadn't visited Hagrid since the start of the year. "I decided it would be nice to have a birthday dinner for Al-"

"What's Malfoy doing here?" James butted in.

"Scorpius-" his father responded, emphasising his first name "- is Al's friend as his Finn and Luke. As I was saying, I decided it would be nice to have a birthday dinner for Al because, well… to be honest, he never gets anything like this done for him." Albus could feel his face become hot and he knew he was a shade of red. Kreacher delivered a meal cooked by himself and Ginny. Albus enjoyed his favourite dinner of lasagne. After that, Kreacher returned again with treacle tart, which didn't last long in the hands of the Potters. The other guests were lucky to get any. Just as they were about to leave, Harry said "I forgot to get a cake."

"I didn'" said Hagrid reaching into his coat and pulling out a box. "Here ya go, baked it meself." he said proudly. Harry opened the box and chuckled slightly. He laid the cake down on the table and vanished the box with his wand and there was now twelve burning candles on the cake. Albus looked at the cake. Written on it was "HAPPEE BIRTDAE AL".

"Why are you laughing dad?" Albus asked.

"On my eleventh birthday, Hagrid gave me a cake and spelled happy birthday the same way. Didn't learn to spell 'em properly did you?" he chuckled towards Hagrid.

"Ih's not my faul'" Hagrid said.

Albus was in the owlery, sending a letter to his mother.

_Dear Mum,_

_Thanks for the food, it was awesome. I had a great birthday and I got some great presents. Hagrid even made me a cake! I still think the treacle tart was awesome, the best I could have had!_

_Tell Lils I said "Hi"_

_-Al_

Albus tied the letter to the leg of his snowy owl. "Take this to Mum" he said to the owl. The owl hooted and pecked his finger affectionately. Albus stroked the bird before she took off. Albus watched the owl until she was only a speck in the distance.

Albus was back in his dormitory. He along with Finn, Luke and Scorpius were sitting on the ends of their beds, talking. They were not talking about Albus' birthday, that topic had been exhausted very quickly.

"Guys, what's Brian been up to lately?"

"What do you mean?" Luke asked Finn.

"He's been acting strange and he's been sending loads of letters."

"You noticed that too?" Albus asked and Finn nodded.

"Maybe he's just homesick"Luke suggested.

"He makes a good point. He didn't go home for Christmas, he probably is just homesick." Scorpius added.

"I dunno. He just doesn't seem like the type to get homesick."

"Well, he doesn't have a lot of friends, does he?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah, we wouldn't talk to him if he didn't sleep here. I don't really like him anyway. He's not very nice." Luke said.

"Yes, he's sorta annoying." Albus said.

"Well, its time for me to sleep." Scorpius said. "Gotta stick to my study timetable."

"Why are you even studying so much?" Finn asked

"I have my reasons. I might tell you next year" Scorpius said as he put on his pyjamas.

* * *

><p><strong>Follow me on Twitter for updates. I'll also happily answer any queries you may have. at: Potterhead1234<strong>


	17. In Remembrance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the material which is featured in the book or film series**

**17: In Remembrance**

Albus led the way down to the lake where a stage had been set up and rows upon rows of chair had also been placed lakeside. April had been a rather uneventful month. May second had arrived and the school had been given the day off classes to prepare for this evenings event. There had been a stage set up. Placed right on the front of the stage was a podium. Albus expected that the podium would be used by the people who be speaking.

Everyone took their seats. The Minister of Magic was the last to arrive and he took his seat on stage, next to the Headmistress, Albus' father and Professor Longbottom. The people in the front row, who may also be speaking Albus thought, were also veterans of the Battle. These included the entire Weasley family, Luna Lovegood and many others. The Headmistress stood to address what was an extremely large crowd. "Twenty years ago today, the school was under siege from Lord Voldemort. The Battle of Hogwarts was fought and we lost many, many good people but were victorious in the end. Our first speaker today is the man who finished the Battle, Harry Potter."

The crowd gave Harry a standing ovation as he walked to the podium. "Thanks Professor. Now, when you say that I finished the Battle it sounds great but I really had loads of help from Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger… now Weasley. There was also people like Professor McGonagall, Minister Shacklebolt, the Weasley family, Professor Longbottom and all of my classmates. I thank everyone who helped me, I couldn't have done it without you. Unfortunately, not everyone who fought in the Battle lived. Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Colin Creevey, Severus Snape and many more. They all deserve credit for the part they played in helping me, us-" Harry said spreading his arms to indicate the entire crowd were the victors "-win the Battle. I haven't often spoken about the Battle, as my family knows but Professor McGonagall left me with no choice. The Battle was the final Battle with Voldemort, it marked the end of what were dark times. The Battle of Hogwarts, despite it being twenty years ago, lingers fresh in the mind of everybody, mostly because everyone lost a family member, friends or even just an acquaintance during the Battle. Today, however, we are here to celebrate the victory. I will leave you with Minister Shacklebolt" Harry finished and Albus could see a tear in his fathers eye. He knew that his father didn't like talking about the Battle because he had so many unhappy memories about lost friends. Albus knew his father felt responsible of the deaths of everyone in the Battle. The minister stood up. He was wearing dark purple robes and his hopped ear ring.

When he spoke it was in a low, deep voice. "Mr. Potter it right. We lost many great people during the Battle. Today, we are going to celebrate the Battle. Let me explain the back story of how this came about. The twenty year anniversary, I remembered, was this year. For the ten year anniversary, we erected a statue of to remember all of those who died. The names of all those who perished were listed. For the twenty year anniversary, we decided that we needed to do something else, something that will be remembered. Again, we decided to erect a statue, but of what, was the question we were unsure of what to answer. Eventually, myself and some other ministry officials decided upon what the statue would be. As you may know, we have been working down here since February to complete the large statue. The final piece is behind this wall, Kingsley said gesturing to the wall behind him." he turned around. "Behold" and he flicked his wand and the wall slowly began to rise. The wall rose to reveal a large statue of Harry and Neville. The audience clapped while Neville and Harry looked at it, completely dumbfounded. "Now-" the Minister started in his deep voice "-we decided we should honour two men who played a vital part in defeat of Lord Voldemort. Both of these men are Professors here and are now honoured on the grounds of the castle. I am now going to let Professor Longbottom speak." he said, letting Professor Longbottom stand to speak. Neville walked slowly to the podium on the stage.

"I… I'm…. I'm, well, honoured" Neville blurted out. "I wasn't expecting to speak forget about being honoured in stone. I also didn't think that my role in the Battle was as significant as Minister Shacklebolt has made it out to be." At this, Harry had stood up and was walking over to the podium.

"Neville," he said "you did so much. You took over the D.A. in the year of the Battle, you led the resistance from inside Hogwarts. You were part of the group who blew up the Covered Bridge. You openly stood up to Voldemort and tried to rally everyone to continue the Battle. Most importantly, you killed Nagini, his snake."

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds great." Professor Longbottom said.

"What you did was great Neville. I couldn't have done what I did if you hadn't done what you did." At this everyone stood, and applauded the two men who would be forever remembered on the grounds of Hogwarts. The large life size stone statues stood, Harry was posed in battle holding his wand and Neville in a similar pose holding the Sword of Godric Gryffindor. Albus looked on as the celebration seemed to finish. All of the photographers were asking for pictures of Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom beside their stone statues. Albus knew by looking at his father that it was a fake smile.

It took about ten or fifteen minutes to finish taking the pictures. "Can we get one of the two men with their families?" he heard a reporter shout.

"Oh no" Albus said quietly to himself. A man with shoulder length brown hair and a red hat was walking back up the aisle created by the two rows of chairs. Albus was now wishing he didn't look so much like his father. The man looked around and saw Albus.

"Young Albus Potter" he said. "Come on". Albus now knew he had no choice. He saw James being ushered forward as well. He walked down and James glanced towards him. Both of them had featured in photos because at one stage, whenever they went somewhere with their father, they were always photographed. Albus and James didn't like the attention they got from the photographs but they now knew it came with the Potter name.

Albus and James met their mother and sister as they walked towards their father and the stone statue. Hannah Longbottom, Neville's wife, was also making her way forward. Ginny, Lily, Albus and James were put standing beside the statue along with their father. Hannah Longbottom was also standing beside Neville. The flash of cameras lasted about five minutes. Albus looked up to his father once the cameras stopped flashing. His father knew that this look was a question asking if Albus could go and sit back down. His father nodded. Albus and James set off away from the statue. He went back and sat beside Scorpius.

"Luke and Finn went off somewhere, I told them I'd wait for you." Scorpius said as Albus approached.

"I don't even want to know where they've gone."

"I want you to meet my dad. My mum didn't come. Anyway, he's over here." Scorpius said getting up and Albus followed his friend's lead. "Albus, this is my dad, dad, this is Albus"

"Hi, Mr. Malfoy." Albus said. The man had messy blonde hair, pale skin, grey eyes and a pointed chin. Albus noticed just how much Scorpius looked like his father.

"Please, call me Draco." he said, his voice cold and drawling. Albus had heard that voice before, but he couldn't remember when. "To be quite honest-" he said smiling "-I was surprised when I heard you were in Slytherin, Albus. I thought you would be in Gryffindor like your father, and the rest of your family."

"I didn't really care. I told the Sorting Hat to put me where I would do best."

"And he choose Slytherin. Interesting."

"Hello Draco." said a voice from behind Albus. He turned and saw his father approaching.

"Potter" Draco muttered under his breath. "Hi Harry. Nice to see yourself and Longbottom immortalised in stone."

"Well, Kingsley came up with it."

"Yes, I heard that. Scorpius told me that you are quite the teacher."

"I only really got the job because Minerva was stuck at the last minute. I don't plan on continuing next year." Harry said.

"That's unfortunate. You probably are the best man for the job, all the experience you have."

"I don't think teaching is my forte."

"Well, if you excuse me, I have to leave now." he said, standing and walking away from the Potters. He said a goodbye to his son and hugged him. "It was nice talking to Harry and meeting you Albus." Draco said, turning on his heel and leaving.

"Albus, I have to go now. See you Scorpius." Harry then said, turning the opposite way and walking back towards the stage. Luke and Finn ambled towards them, laughing.

"What did ye do?" Scorpius asked.

"We asked Professor Longbottom, 'did you kill that snake, sir?' and he told us he did and that the statue of him was a carving of him just after he had killed the snake." Finn said.

"Could you believe he did that? He doesn't look the type, does he?" Luke asked.

"I can, he used to be an Auror" Albus said. His three friends head's turned as he said this.

"How do you know?" Finn asked, looking more serious now.

"He's friends with my dad."

"So that's how he knew you at the start of the year?" Scorpius said.

"Yeah, he was really surprised when I got put into Slytherin."

"Who wasn't? You're Albus Potter, your family has been in Gryffindor for centuries." Finn said.

"He's right you know. It's not like me, everyone knew I'd be in Slytherin" Scorpius said.

Everyone had left their seats and were wandering around talking to friends. The entire Weasley family was spread around and Albus could nearly pick them all out with their red hair. Albus, Luke, Finn and Scorpius had fallen silent. "May I have your attention." the Minister of Magic's deep voice sounded. The talk stopped and every head in the crowd turned to look at the stage. "Food will be served in the Great Hall up in the castle."

Professor McGonagall stood and her voice boomed around the low lying lake side area. "If the students would please sit at their House tables and their respective family members sit with them."

The large crowd were now walking towards the castle. Albus knew he would be left alone, none of his family would want to sit at the Slytherin table. They arrived into the Great Hall and Albus went and sat at the table that was decorated in the silver and green of Slytherin. He sat beside Scorpius with Finn and Luke sitting opposite. Albus glanced over to the Gryffindor table and saw his family sitting there. "Please move over Al."

Albus turned and saw his Aunt Hermione standing with his sister, waiting for Albus to sit down so they could have a seat.

"Hi Hermione." he said. "Hey Lils." He nudged Scorpius who moved down the bench slightly to make room for his sister and aunt. His sister hopped on the bench, her red hair bouncing as she jumped onto the seat. His aunt sat down beside Lily.

"Why aren't you sitting with everyone else?" Albus asked his aunt

"Well, Lily wanted to come and see you and as you know, I'm the most tolerant in the family. You know Ron and George and all them just have to sit at the Gryffindor table. Ronald is actually convinced that the Gryffindor table has the best food."

"I dunno, the food is pretty good here." Albus said chucking. "Anyway, how have you been Lils?"

"Bored" she quickly replied. "I haven't been able to do much and you get to be here."

"It hasn't been as fun as you think" Albus told her thinking of Parker, his strange dreams and Quidditch practices that were always getting more difficult each time. Albus had even considered starting studying, he wanted to do well in his first year exams. "And I thought Mum didn't want you to see the castle until you started."

"She didn't but she didn't have a choice. There was no one that was able to mind Lily and Ginny didn't want to miss this." Hermione pointed out to Albus.

"Oh right." Albus said.

The dinner was a feast and Albus thought that if anyone ate too much, there would be absolutely no room for anyone else to sit.

* * *

><p>"That was fun, wasn't it?" asked Luke as they sat in the dormitory.<p>

"Which part? The part where they revealed a statue of Al's dad and our Herbology professor, where we asked said professor about a snake he killed or the massive feast? I think you enjoyed the food the most" said Finn

"You know me well!" Luke said smirking. Albus was laughing and Scorpius was shaking his head in disbelief.

"You're a joke, you are" Finn said, in a jocular tone.

"You're always hungry Luke. It's always about the food with

you!" Scorpius said.

"That's not true! I'm not hungry when I'm full," Luke said.

"Yes, but are you ever full?" Albus asked.

"Sometimes." Luke replied. At this, the other three couldn't help but laugh. The four boys dressed for bed and they lay in their beds. None of them closed their hangings which was a sign that they were up for continuing their conversation.

Albus was tired and closed his hangings first. He lay back down and was asleep moments later.

"_It will happen soon. The time is drawing nearer. I believe, from our source, we have a little over three weeks to finalise our plans." Albus was used to this dream. This one was clearer. He was able to see the room clearly. The floors and walls were carved from a dark stones. There was a table in the middle of the floor. It was old, worn and made of dark wood, probably mahogany, Albus thought as he looked around the room. There were eight chairs, all similar to the table; they were old worn and made of a dark wood, placed around the table. There were only three of the chairs filled and one man was standing up. He was the man that had spoke. Albus wasn't able to see anyone's face and he was unsure of why this was. _

_The same voice sounded again while pointing at one of the people occupying a chair. "You will not come on the day. It would be far too dangerous."_

"_It is nice that you are interested in my welfare but I am capable of taking care of myself. I will be going." sounded a cold drawling voice._

_The man who was standing drew his wand. "You will not be coming. You will stay at home." said the man slowly. _

"_Fine" said the cold voice, clearly unsatisfied._

"_Now, the plan of action. I will go there with our other… ehm… members . We will retrieve it without being noticed. You will be at your home, we will apparate there once we get it. The following day we shall perform the… well, you know." he said. "Any other questions?" nobody twitched. "Very well, this meeting is over." he said, turning quickly on his heel and walking from the room._

Many miles away, a young boy awoke with a start. Albus sat bolt upright in his bed. Realisation hit Albus. Earlier in the day he recognised Draco Malfoy's voice from the dreams he had. Surely, Scorpius' father wouldn't be involved in whatever they were planned in doing in his dream. He needed to tell his father. Then he thought about his friend who lay in the bed opposite him. He was going to report his friends father to the Head Auror. He then thought twice about what he had originally planned on doing. He had to do it, didn't he? What if they did something really awful? He would do it tomorrow. Albus lay back down and tried to get back to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>For updates, follow me on Twitter: at Potterhead1234<strong>


	18. The Final

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series.**

**A/N: This ** indicates a change in point of view, between Albus and James.**

**18:The Final**

Albus woke and dressed early the next morning. He looked out the window and saw that the sun hadn't fully risen in the sky. Brian's bed was empty but that didn't surprise Albus. He tried to walk as quietly as he could from the dormitory and down the stairs into the almost empty Common Room. There were a handful of early risers, mostly fifth and seventh years, gathered around the tables, obviously catching up on their homework or getting in some extra hours of study.

Albus left the Common Room and into the narrow dungeon hallway. Albus noticed that since the weather had picked up in the dungeon corridor had become considerably warmer. He could hear his feet hit the stone floor with each step. He walked up the stairs and arrived into the Entrance Hall. Albus stopped, he was thinking about going to his fathers office and telling him about his dream but he decided it could wait until after their Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

When he entered the Great Hall, it was sparsely populated. There were only a handful, maybe less, of people at each house table. Albus was surprised that he wasn't tired. He wasn't yawning and stumbling to his destination. He walked briskly over to the Slytherin table and sat across from Emily. "Morning Emily" Albus said as he piled eggs onto his plate.

"Somebody's up early." she replied.

"Yeah, why are you up this early?" Albus said, trying not to smile. Emily smiled at Albus' sarcasm.

"I was talking about you, Al." she said.

"Oh right. Well, I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep so I decided to just come for breakfast. Why are you always up so early?"

"I just like eating in peace. I always go back to the Common Room and get my stuff ready. I like to have lots of time to just be casual and not rush around in the morning."

"I never have to rush in the morning. It's just very quick movement about the castle." Albus said.

"Al, I think that would be classed as rushing." she told him.

"If you say so." Albus said, shaking his head, smirking.

Albus dug into his breakfast. He realised that Emily was right and he didn't have to rush his eating. Just as the Great Hall began to fill, Albus and Emily left and went back to the Common Room. They packed their books for their morning classes. They sat in the Common Room, waiting for the others.

* * *

><p>Defence Against the Dark Arts class was dismissed five minutes early by the Professor and Albus thought this a perfect time to tell his dad about the previous night's dream. His father sat at his desk and opened one of the drawers. "Dad" Albus said. Harry's head shot up and he pushed the drawer shut. "What's in the drawer?" Albus asked.<p>

"It's just work stuff, nothing important." he said. "What can I do for you Al?

"I had another dream last night."

"This is the first in a while, isn't it?" he asked and Albus nodded. "I was going to have you learn Occlumency but you didn't have one for a while and I know it's extremely hard to learn Occlumency. You would be very busy and I thought it wouldn't be fair. Now, tell me about your dream?"

"I was in a stone room but I couldn't see anyone's faces. There were three people, I think, sitting down and one man standing up. One of the men's voice sounded familiar though. Remember when I met Scorpius' dad yesterday, I knew I had heard his voice. I heard it in my dreams. He's planning on doing something but he was told to stay at home."

"Al, I don't think it was Draco Malfoy you heard." Harry said, standing up as if he was going to shepherd Albus from the classroom.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"I can't tell you that. Now, you have a class to get to. Go on." he said and Albus didn't stop to argue, he had Transfiguration next and he didn't want to be late. "Oh and Albus, always remember that you shouldn't dwell on dreams." Albus nodded as he set off down the corridor.

* * *

><p>Albus worked much harder in May. He started studying, thanks to study timetables Scorpius made for him, Luke and Finn, he did his homework, they had Quidditch practice three times a week, neither team practiced on Sunday. The excitement in the school grew steadily higher each day. Everyone was looking forward to the final, whether it be the Quidditch, the Duelling, or the final task. The rumours around he school were that the final task was being changed from the hedge maze, mostly because the maze was usually grown on the Quidditch pitch as it was in 1995 but they couldn't do that because there was a Quidditch match.<p>

The schedule of how the final would be played, and the scoring system, were released. The points had reset, so both teams were back on zero. The scoring system would remain the same. Ten points for winning the Quidditch, a bonus point if the losing team was within one hundred point. Ten points to the winner of the Duelling and five to second. The same scores applied to the head to head task between James and Steven. Quidditch was to start at eleven in the morning, Duelling at two and the final task at seven in the evening.

* * *

><p>Saturday, May twenty-sixth came much quicker than Albus expected it to. He had perfected both strategies so he was waiting for a talk with Teddy so they could finalise which one he would use in the final.<p>

The morning came and Albus awoke at half eight. Finn, Luke and Scorpius all woke in the next five minutes as Albus dressed. "Why are you all awake so early?" Albus asked as his friends stumbled around the dormitory. Albus had slept well and wasn't tired.

"Do you think we'd let you go down-"

"Up" Luke corrected Finn

"We wouldn't let you go to breakfast by yourself." Scorpius said, putting on his shoes.

The four boys walked to breakfast. Every time a member of the Quidditch or Duelling team or when James entered, the entire hall would clap. Albus and Atticus entered at almost the same time. There was rapturous applause from the Slytherin table while the Gryffindor table, mainly his family, was pretty loud too. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables had moderate applause for the Slytherin players. Albus sat with his friends and ate a small plate of bacon, eggs ad toast. Albus watched his Irish friend devour three plates of the same food. Finn sat stunned, and Scorpius was watching on wide eyed.

"You know Luke-" Scorpius said "-for such a small guy, you eat a lot."

"Thanks" Luke said placing his knife and fork on the plate and sitting back, relaxing.

"I don't think it was a compliment." Finn said

"Quidditch players, to the dressing rooms now." sounded Teddy Lupin's voice. Silence fell on the Great Hall. Every head turned to Teddy who was standing on the dais the staff table stood on. "Come on, get moving." he shouted. Albus and Atticus rose from the Slytherin table, Stump from the Hufflepuff, the three Weasleys from the Gryffindor table and John Samuels from the Ravenclaw table. They walked as one unit from the Hall to thunderous applause with Teddy bringing up the rear of the group. The weather was gorgeous. "Excellent" Albus thought. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. There was absolutely no wind and Albus knew it would be decided on pure skill.

Ten minutes later and Albus had pulled on his Quidditch robes and was sitting in his usual corner seat. He was now starting to feel nervous. He knew from the first game that the Chasers, Beaters and Keepers were matched from either side so it would go down to the battle between the Seekers. He knew it was still around an hour until the start of the game. Teddy came over and hunkered down in front of him.

"Al, I want you to switch between the two strategies we have devised. Keep mixing it up, make sure she never knows what you're going to do next.

"Okay, I can do that." Albus said.

"I know you can Al. I have complete faith in your ability, you can do whatever you try to do."

"Twenty minutes until the start." Oliver Wood shouted. Albus suddenly snapped out of his train of thought. "Today is something extremely special. I never got to play in anything like this, you should all feel honoured. Don't let the occasion and the emotion get to you though. You need to be in the right frame of mind. You need to start focusing now." his voice grew louder. "You need to focus." Albus could see the passion flooding from Wood's now red face. "This is our pitch!" he roared. "This is our school and we're doing going to let anyone come here and beat us on our own field. Do this for Hogwarts!" Wood shouted, raising his fist into the air.

The entire Potter and Weasley family was seated around the stadium. Albus knew that they would be hoping for some more skills like Albus produced at Christmas. They clapped as the Australian team emerged on the pitch and waited for the Hogwarts and three of their family members.

"Let's do this" the team roared, standing up briskly and walking from the room. Wood's motivational speech had certainly done the job. They waited in the tunnel. Albus could hear a small roar and knew that the Australian team had just emerged from a tunnel on the opposite side. This was confirmed when he heard Victoire make an announcement. "And please welcome the Australian team to the field. And now…" she said. The large double doors in front of the Hogwarts team opened. Albus mounted his broom, and kicked off hard. The team flew out in a line of black. The did a lap of the pitch and landed down at the centre circle. The referee was short, bald and looked like he was in his early to mid forties. Albus also noticed that he had a rather large belly.

"Now, I want a clean, fair game." he announced. "Captains, shake hands." Dominique and the boy Albus knew was named Lachlan and the opposing keeper, stepped forward and shook hands. Albus saw his cousin give her Australian counterpart a long cold stare which he returned with a smile.

"And the captains shake hands, the game will get underway in just a few moments." Victoire announced. "The teams line out as follows: Dominique Weasley of Gryffindor is the Hogwarts Keeper and Captain, Fred Weasley, also of Gryffindor and Leo Stump of Hufflepuff are the Beaters. Molly Weasley, another Gryffindor, Jeremy Finch of Slytherin and John Samuels of Ravenclaw are the three Chasers. Slytherin's Albus Potter is the Seeker. Australia line out with captain Lachlan Roberts as Keeper. The Beaters are William Jones and Alicia Stone. Alison Johnson, Katie Rhodes and Joshua Thomas are the Chasers. Ashley Wilson is the Seeker."

The referee blew his whistle and the teams all mounted their brooms. The Bludgers and Snitch were released with a quick flick of the referee's wand. The teams all took off into the air. The keepers bombed to their respective hoops. Albus saw Ashley do the same. Albus flew high above the field and began circling the pitch. The Chasers all rose high, but not as high as Albus. The referee tossed the Quaffle into the air.

"And, Finch comes away with the Quaffle." Albus did indeed see Atticus come away with the red ball. He streaked down the pitch and toss the ball to Molly. "And Weasley, Molly that is, shoots. And… it hit's the rim of the hoop and goes in. That's 10-0 to Hogwarts."

The game moved quickly and Albus changed from circling the pitch to staying behind the goal hoops. The game continued to be very up and down. The Quaffle moved up and down with shots being fired at either Keeper and the Beaters dispossessing the Chasers with well aimed Bludgers. "The game is tied at 90-90. These teams can't be divided at all. There's been no sightings of the Snitch yet."

Albus could vouch for that fact. He and Ashley were playing with the same tactics. Neither had caught a glimmer of gold. An hour into the game and both John Samuels and Joshua Thomas had been knocked from their brooms by William Jones and Fred Weasley respectively. Both of the Chasers were out of the game and this meant that the four Chasers now had to work even harder. "Two quick goals from Finch and Weasley has tied this game yet again. The current score is 170-170. And Weasley makes yet another fabulous save to keep the game tied. It's now quarter past twelve and on such a warm day the teams appear to be tiring. The speed of play has slowed and with only six players each, the Chasers have to work even harder than usual."

And then Albus saw it. We was in the process of circling the pitch. Professor Parker was leaving the stands. He was in the back row and his leaving went unnoticed. "ALBUS! PAY ATTENTION!" Teddy said. Teddy had clearly noticed that Albus was stationery on his broom in the air. Albus broke his gaze from his least favourite Professor and he started to circle the pitch yet again.

Twenty minutes later and both sides had broke the 200 point barrier and the game was level once again at 220-220. "I've actually lost count of how many times these sides have been level in a little over an hour and a half in play." Victoire announced. "And it's Johnson in possession, oh… Weasley hits her with a well aimed Bludger… and Finch picks up the Quaffle and passes it to Weasley, she shoots and… oh it's saved by Thomas.

Albus and Ashley passed each other in mid air and Albus saw Professor Parker waiting on the lawns near the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He walked back up to the castle. "I need to focus" Albus said. He looked back and went back to where he was, circling the pitch. He passed Ashley once more, they were both going in the opposite direction. "… Finch put Hogwarts ahead but it was only momentarily as Rhodes puts past Weasley to level once more at 240-240. And Wilson has seen the Snitch and so has Potter. They've both gone into dives." Albus could feel the air against his face. "I have a funny sense of de ja vú here!" Victoire said.

They both pulled out of their dives as the Snitch turned sharply to Albus' left. They both turned in the direction of the Snitch. It was now an out and out chase. The game went on above, as the Seekers hunted down the Snitch. The pair were neck and neck and the Snitch climbed higher and higher. Albus and Ashley rose with it. Albus got closer and both he and Ashley stretched out an arm. Then the Snitch took a dive. Albus was quicker to react and went into a dive with it. It took Ashley slightly longer and she was now looking at the green twigs of Albus' broom. The dive became steeper and the pair were coming over closer to a grassy grave. Ashley tried to fly under Albus but he had pulled out of his dive slightly. He was flying flatter and was closing in on the Snitch. Albus blocked every attempt from Ashley to try and get past him. Ashley could see how Albus knew where she was going to try and get past him next, Teddy Lupin was standing and making gestures to Albus. Albus steepened his dive and then pulled out of it again before lunging for the Snitch only centimetres from the grass. His left hand closed tight as he was dislodged from his broom. The referee put his hand in the air, bent at the elbow, closed his fist and pulled his arm downwards. "That's the signal, Albus Potter has caught the Snitch" Victoire shouted. "Hogwarts win 390-250."

Albus picked himself up from the ground and Ashley had already dismounted from her broom. She went over to Albus and extended her hand. Albus took it and the pair shook hands. "Well played Al." she said.

"Thanks, you too." he replied. This was all that could be said as Albus' team mates had surrounded him and the stands surrounding the pitch were emptying off Hogwarts students. A stream of students flooded the pitch while the Australian team left the pitch and back down the tunnel to a small applause from the Australians who were still in the stands.

"Well done Al!" everyone was shouting. They knew, however that this was just a start. They still had the Duelling tournament.

Professor McGonagall's voice boomed around the grounds. "Due to the prolonged nature of the Quidditch game, the Duelling will start an hour late. Lunch will be served until half past two and the hall will then be cleared and prepared for the Duelling." the Hogwarts students had fallen silent but once the announcement had finished, the sea of students had hoisted Albus onto their shoulders and were making their way back up to the castle. They were all chanting in unison.

"_Potter! Potter!"_

Albus never realised that catching the Snitch would bring him in for this treatment. He was overjoyed. Once they entered the Great Hall, Albus was shipped onto the shoulders of the Slytherin students as the others took their seats. Albus' feet were eventually back on the ground as he was put down. He took his seat at the Slytherin table, Luke and Atticus either side of him, Scorpius and Finn across from him. The doors of the Great Hall opened again and everyone saw the Australian team enter and the rest of their party behind them. The three Weasleys who played stood up and started clapping as did Albus and Atticus and were closely followed by the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw players. The rest of the school followed suit in applauding the team who played what was one of the greatest ever matches played in Hogwarts.

Albus ate as much as he had ever eaten. He was so hungry after the long match. "And all you give out about the amount I eat. Look at Al." Al indeed was eating a lot, he was already on his third helping.

"Did you just play an extremely long Quidditch match?" Scorpius asked. "Anyone would be hungry after that, especially because it was so warm." Luke didn't say anything. He continued to eat.

They were told that lunch was over and they had to leave the Hall and return in twenty minutes. Albus walked out and met his cousins. "Al" Dominique shouted when she saw him and pulling him into a hug. "That was a great catch." Fred, James and Louis all patted him on the back while Roxanne, Rose and Victoire all proceeded to hug him and they all congratulate him on his catch. "You played really good as well Dom" Albus said.

"I let in twenty-five goals."

"They must have had about a hundred shots though."

"Eighty nine." Rose corrected him.

"That was some Bludger when Fred knocked that gut off his broom." James added.

"And how many goals did you score Molly?" Albus asked.

"Eleven" Rose said.

"Were you keeping track of all the stats, Rose?" James asked.

"Yes." Rose replied casually.

Victoire said she had to go. She was part of the Hogwarts duelling team and had to be in the Great Hall. The Weasley and Potters knew that Victoire was dangerous when she was put in a Duelling situation. She may look innocent and kind but she was actually fierce and aggressive.

"I wanna get a good seat in the Great Hall." Albus said. He turned and went back down the stairs and just as he arrived in the Entrance Hall the doors opened to the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall had gestured Albus inside. The Great Hall looked different. There was a long platform running almost the length of the Hall. Where the staff table usually stood, there was a stand of seats set up. This was also the case left and right of the platform. Albus never realised that you could fit so many people, with a stage in the middle, into the Great Hall. He took a seat to the left of the platform. Over the next five minutes, Finn, Luke and Scorpius filed in beside him while all the other Weasleys filled a row behind him. James, however, sat on the other side, by himself. Albus could tell that his brother was nervous even if appearance and demeanour didn't show it.

At exactly three o clock, Mr. Edgely stepped onto the stage. He introduced the two teams.

The second event started and Albus watched in awe. He was at the other duelling tournaments but had never paid much attention. The speed of the wand movement was unbelievable and they were using spells that Albus had never even heard of. After a number of duels, Hogwarts and Australia were tied on points. It came down to the final duel between Victoire and an Australian boy Albus knew only by surname, Cummins.

Albus wished that Victoire would win, that would almost secure the Cup for Hogwarts. Victoire didn't have to use verbal spells, and neither did Cummins. The duel lasted for about three minutes when Cummins hit Victoire's leg with an orange bolt and then disarm her to finish the duel. The Australians celebrated the victory. Hogwarts still lead by fifteen points to ten but if Steven Warner emerged with the cup, Australia would win. "Or would they?" Albus thought. "What happens if it's a draw?" he thought again. It didn't bother him at the time, however, as they exited the Great Hall.

James walked back to his Common Room by himself. Albus and his three friends went back to the Slytherin Common Room. "Guys, I have to tell you something, come up to the dormitory. We won't be overheard." Albus said as they walked up the stairs leading to the dormitory.

"Don't start bragging about your brilliant catch." Scorpius said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"Well, at least he didn't nearly kill anyone this time." Luke said.

"No, I'm saving my bragging until later." Albus said. "Anyway, when I was in the air, I saw Parker leaving the Quidditch match. Then he waited at the edge of the forest but went back up to the castle."

"Will you let this stuff with Parker go?" Finn said. "You were at it at the start of the year and you got nothing. Get over it."

"No, I know what I need to get." Albus exclaimed jumping to his feet. "I'll meet up with you later." With that Albus left the dormitory, rand down the stairs and out of the Common Room. He went full pelt through the dungeons and into the Entrance Hall. His pace slowed as he came to the stairs. He was on the fourth floor when James came up to him. "How did you know where I was?" Albus asked. In response James held up piece of old, worn parchment. "Can I have that?"

"What for?" James asked. Albus realised that James didn't have his usual arrogant walk or the usual authority in his voice. His voice was shaky and Albus knew he was now extremely nervous.

"I can't tell you but come on! You said we could share them." Albus pointed out.

"Fine" James said. He handed Albus the parchment and Albus put it inside his robes. He only realised now that he had still had his Quidditch robes on.

"Thanks James and good luck later on."

"Thanks Al, great catch." he said as they went their separate ways.

Albus got back to the dormitory and pulled out the piece of old parchment. "You went to get a piece of old parchment?" Luke asked with a puzzled expression.

"No, I went to get this." Albus said. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" he murmured and none of the others could make out exactly what he said. Ink spread across the page and a map of Hogwarts was soon laid out on the parchment.

"This is amazing!" Finn said.

"I know!" Luke exclaimed. "Who's Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs?"

"That I'm not sure of." Albus said. "I just got this so we can watch what Parker is doing during the final task if he leaves."

"Okay" Finn said. "I don't understand why you just can't let it go. What if something happens to us?"

"Nothing is going to happen to you." Albus said.

"Oh, Al" Scorpius said. "Atticus said you have to leave your Quidditch robes on"

Albus was in the process of changing when Scorpius said this. "Why?" he asked

"I dunno. Professor McGonagall said it." Scorpius replied. Albus cleared the map and stuffed it back into his robes.

* * *

><p>"The final task is the traditional maze as you can all see." Mr. Edgely announced. Albus had stuffed his Invisibility Cloak into his robes along with the Marauder's Map.<p>

* * *

><p>**James waited in the white tent. About five minutes ago, Mr. Edgely had informed them on what the final task would be. James also found out that because Hogwarts was leading, he would get a head start. He would get twenty seconds for every point ahead Hogwarts was, that made a total of one hundred seconds. He knew it wasn't much so he had to make the most of it. Two men entered the tent, one of whom Albus recognised as the Australian Headmaster and the man trailing behind was… his father. "We're here to escort you out." Harry said.<p>

"Dad" James said when his father was beside him.

"James, I've competed in this. Its dangerous but you're good enough to get through it. You're a highly skilled wizard James. You can do this." Harry said.

"Thanks Dad" James said, standing up. A canon sounded and James looked up to his father. Harry nodded and James walked out and Harry followed. Steven and the Australian Headmaster left the tent first and James and his father brought up the rear.

They stepped onto the grass of the Quidditch pitch, where hours ago, James had celebrated his brother's victory. He could feel the nerves in his stomach as he was walked over to the entrance of the maze by his father. Steven stood at the other entrance. The canon boomed again and James walked into the maze. The nerves were gone now, he was no longer worried. James was now focused on his goal. He walked purposefully down the tunnel created by the hedges. He heard a second canon boom and presumed that Steven had just entered the maze. James remembered that due to permit mix ups, there was no animals or anything of the sort in the maze. Harry had told James years ago how he had to get past Boggarts and a Sphinx.

A low mist was now floating over the top of the maze and the wind started to pick up. From time to time the maze walls would move and create different paths for James.

* * *

><p>** "Look" Albus whispered to his friends and pointing at Professor Parker leaving from the staff seating area. None of them seemed to be paying him any attention as he strode from the Quidditch pitch. On purpose, Albus had sat in the back row so he could look at the map if he needed to.<p>

"Okay, now I see why you're being suspicious of him, the task has just started, there's no way he's just bored.

Albus' father was sitting in the front row. Circling the maze on brooms were Aurors and Albus presumed that his father organised this.

* * *

><p>** James walked around the maze, he felt like he was now going in circles. Then he saw a blurred outline in the distance. He walked towards the outline of his Australian counterpart. He took a left turn and saw a glow about one hundred metres, maybe less, away from him. Steven was the same distance the other side of the cup. He saw Steven and Steven saw him. The pair started running, wands forgotten in their hands. As they neared the cup, the both dived towards it, free hand outstretched.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><span>Follow me for updates on Twitter: at Potterhead1234<span>**


	19. A Mistake

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from the Harry Potter series.**

**A/N: This ** indicates a change in point of view, between Albus and James.**

**19: A Mistake**

Albus, followed by Luke, Finn and Scorpius went unnoticed as they had somehow managed to squeeze the four of them under the Invisibility Cloak. The bottom of their feet showed but it was dark and nobody would notice. Or so they thought. Albus had watched the map and saw Professor Parker had went up to the castle. He had dwindled in his office for about five minutes and was coming back towards the front doors of the castle. The boys walked slowly so as to not disturb anyone and they were soon away from the Quidditch pitch and were making their way up to the castle. They had made their way up the slopes and arrived in the Entrance Courtyard. the large oak doors burst open and Professor Parker strode through them. He flicked his wand and the doors closed behind him. He was smiling slightly and had his wand in his right hand. He was strutting along the pavement and the four boys followed behind him. The Professor strode down the hill but instead of continuing on to the Quidditch pitch, where the final task was taking place, but turned towards Hagrid's cabin and the Forbidden Forest. He stopped at the edge of the Forest and looked around. He turned and walked into the forest, unknown that we was being closely followed by four young boys.

* * *

><p>** James knew he wasn't going to make but Steven thought the same thing. "<em>Protego<em>" James cried, "_Protego_" and James thought that it was just an echo but it was actually Steven who had performed the same spell as James. The shield charms bounced off one another and sent the two boys flying backwards. The cup flew into the air. The two boys watched the cup glow and then fall back just a few feet left of the podium on which it had sat only moments before. The pair struggled to their feet, wands raised. The wind in the maze picked up and the boys were almost blown off their feet. James and Steven shielded their eyes, all the while not lowering their wands.

"Looks like it's a duel off, Potter." Steven shouted as the wind died again. His eyes appeared to be gleaming at the prospect of duelling a second year.

"Alright then… Stupefy!" James bellowed. Steven blocked it easily.

"Think you're better than me? A second year?" Steven taunted him. While James listened to these taunts, he edged ever closer to the cup. Steven didn't seem to notice. "Levicorpus!" he shouted but James deflected the spell.

"Expelliarmus!" James said, not as loudly as the other spells

* * *

><p>**The four boys walked slowly and knew they were doing a good job of keeping as quiet as possible as they walked through the forest, the floor was littered with dead leaves. Professor Parker's feet rustled the leaves and he didn't seem to notice the sound of rustling leaves behind him.<p>

The trees were close together and very little light passed into the forest from where they were now. Professor Parker came to an abrupt stop. The four boys were forced to stop so

They wouldn't make any noise in the now quiet forest. Their Professor stood, hands hanging by his side and his right hand gripped tightly around his wand. Another man emerged from the trees. "Michael, nice to see you're being punctual." the man said as he walked over to Professor Parker.

"Am I ever late?" he asked

"It's a rare occasion." he replied. A third man walked through the trees. He was taller than the other two and had curly hair. Albus wasn't sure what colour it was because of the lack of light. He didn't say anything, he merely stared at the other two.

"After months of searching this forest, late at night, I can finally be the stone" Parker said

The small hooded man replied. "This is a big forest. It would take months to search it."

"I… know… him" Finn whispered. "He's… my… dad's… friend. He… was… over… a lot… during… the… summer... the big guy" he whispered to the other three boys.

They fell silent, unsure what to say about the fact one of their father's friends was breaking into Hogwarts.

"…I was there the night Potter came into the forest to face the Dark Lord. I looked at the memories in my pensieve, it is around this area." the shortest man and the one who was first to greet their Professor said. He was wearing a hooded robe so Albus couldn't tell what he looked like.

"And is our source that told us that Potter had the stone, reliable?"

"Very reliable Michael." the small man said.

"Very well, lets proceed. Lead the way Thomas." Professor Parker said and the small man walked forward, the other two trailing behind. The leaves rustled once more and the four boys took this as sign to follow their Professor and his two acquaintances. They walked closed behind, not too close but close enough to keep them in their sights. Albus thought he could hear leaves rustling behind him but when he looked back he, he couldn't see anything.

"I think this is the area. Around here." the small man said.

"Accio Resurrection Stone" Professor Parker said, holding his wand out. They waited about a minute and then Albus a small stone swoop by his head and into the Professor's waiting hand.

"I think you ought to put it down Michael. It won't make you any happier." said a voice from behind Albus. His father stepped from behind a clump of trees. "It was a mistake for you to bring your friends here tonight He had his wand raised. He was walking forward and stepped on the Invisibility Cloak. It was pulled from the four boys. Albus, Luke, Finn and Scorpius were now fully visible in the dimly lit forest. The four boys stood, to the right of Harry. Finn and Albus drew their wands and Scorpius and Luke followed suit. The eight stood, wands raised, a stand off in progress

"It was a mistake for you to follow me Potter."

"You know, I've been wondering about you. I got suspicious one of my first nights here when you caught Albus out of bed. I was wondering what you were doing up that late."

"I'm allowed to walk the castle at night Potter. It doesn't matter to you what I do at night." he growled back.

"I'm an Auror, Michael. Aurors are trained to be suspicious of everything that happens."

* * *

><p>** "Come on Potter, is that the best you can do?" Steven taunted. He fired an orange bolt at James who dodged.<p>

'_Aim for the legs' _a voice echoed in his head. He had dropped to his knees to dodge the spell that had been fired at him. "Confringo" he said, aiming at the legs of Steven. Steven couldn't dodge it and was blown backwards. The force of the blast once again blew the cup into the air again and landed on the other side of the hedge. James got to his feet and ran around to the top of the narrow tunnel created by the lush green hedge.

He turned the corner and saw the glow of the cup. "It's mine" he thought. He ran towards the cup. James stopped beside the cup and decided to savour the moment. He slowly bent down and picked up the cup. The moment he touched the cup, he felt the strange jerk in his naval and he was lifted off his feet.

* * *

><p>** "Al, get out of here. All of you." Harry said. "Get going."<p>

The four boys didn't move. "There's three of them Dad, you won't be able to fight them all."

"We're here to help Professor." Finn and Scorpius said.

"Exactly" Luke said.

"Stupefy!" Albus shouted and it hit the small man right in the chest. Albus caught him off guard.

The third man spoke for the first time. "Looks like little Potter can duel."

"Riddle can duel too" Professor Parker growled.

"Oh yes, Finn Riddle. I met with your father a lot, he's a good friend of mine" the other man said. "He should be here soon." Finn froze at the mention of his father. Was Finn's father really going to be here.

Harry and the tall, curly haired man started duelling after Harry had said that he would soon be taking him to Azkaban.

The four boys were now duelling with Professor Parker. Their Professor was using mostly non verbal spells but spent most of the Duelling time deflecting the spells that were fired at him. Suddenly, he made a slashing movement with his wand through the air and Scorpius fell to the ground. He was unconscious, his breathing drawn out and shallow. He made another slashing movement and Luke was next to fall. He seemed to have a wound just under his right shoulder. He was gripping it tightly. Albus and Finn worked together to deflect the curses and jinxes sent towards him.

Harry seemed to be winning. "Avada Kedavra!" the small man, whose hood had fallen down shouted. Nobody had seen him get to his feet. The curse flew past Harry and struck Finn. He crumpled over into a heap on the forest floor. The small man started running, followed by the curly haired man who had managed to incapacitate Harry momentarily. Albus was kneeling beside his now dead friend and Professor Parker followed his two acquaintances.

Harry had got back to his feet and was now shouting curses and hexes after the three men. The smaller one was much slower than the other two and was soon at the back of the pack. "Petrificus Totalus!" Harry shouted. The small man's arms and legs locked together and he fell over. Harry started to tie the man up in ropes and levitated him back to where the children were.

Scorpius was stirring and Luke was still writhing in pain on the forest floor. Albus was kneeling over the lifeless body of his friend. Albus was crying and buried his face in his hands.

"Al, you need to leave. Send Ron and make sure these two get to the Hospital Wing." Harry said. "Albus go now." but Albus couldn't move. His legs were like jelly. As he stood up he knew his legs couldn't hold his weight for too long. Scorpius helped him to pick up Luke and the three started to walk. "Al, tell Ron to follow my Patronus from the edge of the Forest. Albus, crying still, walked from the Forest. He and Scorpius supported their Irish friend out of the forest.

* * *

><p>**James felt his feet back on level ground again. He was slightly dizzy and heard applause. He looked up and saw that he was back at the entrance to the maze. He had won. James hoisted the cup high above his head in celebration. The crowd cheered and the Hogwarts Quidditch and duelling teams flooded the pitch. They surrounded James and there ended up being a pile on, James near the bottom.<p>

"And the winners," Mr. Edgely announced "of the inaugural TriSchool Tournament, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" This announcement was met with cheers and applause. "Now, please, stay seated."

* * *

><p>**Albus heard the cheers. "Must be over" he said to Scorpius. They got back to the stands and Albus told Scorpius to start making his way up to the Hospital Wing. He found his Uncle Ron. "Ron, dad said to go meet him in the forest. I don't have time to tell you. Follow his Patronus." Albus whispered. Professor McGonagall had seen him and walked over to him as his uncle left his seat.<p>

"What are you sending Weasley away for?" she asked Albus.

"There was people in the Forest. They killed Finn and my dad told me to send him into the forest." Albus said, between intakes of breath. He was sobbing slightly.

"Young Mr. Riddle is dead? Killed by an intruder?" she asked. Albus' eyes started to water and he nodded his head. "Very well Mr. Potter. Go to the Hospital Wing, now" she said. The Headmistress pointed her wand to her neck and her voice was amplified. "Please stop celebrating. I have received some very grave news. Go back to your Common Rooms, stay there and you will be briefed shortly." The noise stopped and the students were making their way back up to the Common Room.

Albus was back in the castle and arrived at the Hospital Wing. Finn and Scorpius were lying in beds, one beside the other. "Potter, what happened to you?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Albus said, still in shock, still crying.

"You're crying, Mr. Potter, what happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked again.

"I… I… saw… I saw someone die." he said, wiping tears from his face.

"I see, you're in shock mostly. Lie down over here." she said, swiftly moving him to the bed beside Luke. She came back moments later. "Drink this" she said, handing him a purple potion. "And this" she handed him a blue potion. Albus fell asleep moments later.

Albus, Scorpius and Finn, whose wound had been healed in a matter of seconds although the scar would remain because it was a Dark curse that their now former Professor used, had been released from the Hospital Wing late the next evening. They went back to the Common Room before dinner. They didn't speak about what had happened in the Forest. None of them wanted to speak about the death of their great friend. Finn was Albus' first friend at Hogwarts when he met him on the train. Scorpius had been with Finn when they met on the train. Luke had become friends with Finn at the Slytherin table after they had been sorted.

* * *

><p>Dinner that evening was a quiet affair. The students had been told that a student was killed last night and this over shadowed Hogwarts' victory in the TriSchool Tournament. Once everyone finished eating, they were dismissed. Albus hadn't eaten anything, he wasn't hungry. He couldn't believe that one of his friends had been killed in their first year. He went back to the dormitory and lay in his bed. After about an hour of twisting and turning, he dozed off.<p>

"_Riddle, we got the stone." said Michael Parker's voice. Albus was Mr. Riddle in this dream. He could see the faces of the men who had been in the Forest. When he spoke, it was in the voice that he had heard in his dreams so often and sounded so familiar to him. _

"_Well done Michael" Riddle said, extending his hand._

"_You didn't help. You didn't show up. Why should I give it to you?" Parker asked._

"_I organised this entire thing. I am the one who will be able to summon my brother"_

"_No. You're not getting the stone. All you'll get is a quick death. We don't need you anymore. You can join your son."_

_Riddle drew his wand. "What did you say about my son?"_

"_Thomas killed your son. He's dead. Potter caught Thomas."_

"_He killed… he killed Finn?" Riddle asked._

"_Yes and now you will die too." Parker said. The tall man disarmed Riddle. "Avada Kedavra". A bolt of green light struck Riddle on the chest and he died instantly. _

Albus woke suddenly. Parker had just killed Finn's dad. He looked at the clock and saw that it was now bright. The sun had only just risen, Albus guessed. He had to go see his father. He woke Luke and Scorpius and they didn't want to come. "Come on guys." Eventually, the two boys gave in and they walked from the dormitory and out of the Common Room.

Albus knocked on his father's office door. There was some noise of objects being knocked over and someone bustling around before the door swung open. Harry appeared, still not fully awake. "Boys, I was going to ask you in for a chat later on. Come back into the classroom and sit down. My office is a mess. Sit down." he said, wearing a grave expression. His voice lacked the usual peppiness. The four sat down.

"Firstly dad, I had another dream. This one was different. I was Mr. Riddle and Parker and the tall guy killed him." Harry looked at him strangely.

"Okay Albus. I'll get some Aurors to check out his house. Anyway, I was going to call you in here to see if you wanted to talk about what happened in the forest?" he asked. They continued to stare at the ground. "Well, I've found out why you've been having these dreams. We talked to that guy we captured in the forest. Apparently, Michael Parker was using Legilimency on you. He was unaware that you were seeing into his meetings in which they planned to get the Resurrection Stone. The first night you had the dream, he was returning to the castle from said meetings. Now, why you were seeing it from Mr. Riddle's point of view, I do not know. Parker then found out you were seeing into these meetings and decided to continue it. They decided you could be useful, that you might know where the stone is and they thought they would be able to attract you into the forest. They believed that I would have told you. They thought wrong."

"But Professor," Scorpius said, "what is the Resurrection Stone?"

"Well, it's exactly what it's name suggests. It's a stone that allows the holder to bring back their loved ones from the dead."

"Like ghosts?" Scorpius asked, clearly interested.

"Sort of. They're more solid and coloured than ghosts, but they're not brought back as living people."

"And you had the stone once?" Luke asked

"It was given to me during the Second War. I discarded it in the Forbidden Forest during the Battle of Hogwarts."

"Why?" Scorpius asked.

"Because, those we love never truly leave us" Harry said. "Now, you may leave. Actually wait, I'm awarding you each twenty points for what you did and I'm awarding Finn one hundred points for bravery and loyalty to his friends and the school" Harry said as the three boys walked out of the office.

* * *

><p>Term ended. All House exams were cancelled but the OWLs and NEWTs still went ahead. There was a glum mood in Slytherin because of the death of one of their students. The Australians and Americans left but Albus didn't go out to see their departure, neither did Luke or Scorpius, they were still very depressed about the death of their close friend. Albus had been comforted by his family but it didn't help him that much. The mood in Slytherin had been lifted slightly by the announcement that they had won the House Cup. The points Harry awarded to them edged out Gryffindor by sixty points. Harry had received confirmation from Aurors that Riddle had been killed. Finn and his father would both be buried together, Finn's aunt on his mothers side, was handling the arrangements. It was to take place two days after the end of term.<p>

The last night of term was to be used to celebrate Hogwarts victory which had not been forgotten but was out aside while Hogwarts mourned the loss of a student. Albus wasn't going attend the leaving feast but was persuaded by Jeremy to go because he was part of the Quidditch team.

He ate a small amount and only clapped half heartedly as the winners names were announced. His name received a loud cheer as did James'. James was presented with the TriWizard Cup.

"We have one final award to present. This is awarded to who we, the staff of Hogwarts, was the most important to Hogwarts' victory. This decision was almost unanimous. The winner is…" Professor McGonagall said, pulling the cloth off what was an amazing trophy "… Albus Potter". Everyone clapped and Albus was pushed from his seat. He went up and was handed the trophy by the Headmistress. They departed the Hall, Albus carrying the fine glass trophy.

* * *

><p>The Hogwarts Express rounded the corner. "Any thing off the trolley, dears?" asked a plump old woman pushing a trolley.<p>

"No thanks" they all murmured and the trolley lay moved on.

"Guys, write to me during the summer, won't you?" asked Scorpius. The three had come to an unspoken agreement not to talk about Finn and they seemed to be happier now. They wouldn't forget their friend but talking about it at eleven and twelve was very difficult.

"Definitely." said Albus "I might get you over some day too."

"What about me? I live in Ireland!" Luke said.

"We'll write to you too." they both said.

"But if Scorpius is coming to your house, I want to come too."

"Well, you're staying for a few days aren't ya, for the…" Albus didn't finish the sentence.

"Yeah I am. I explained to my parents that I wanted to stay." Luke said. They didn't say anything for a few minutes. It was Rose who came in to break the silence. She only poked her head in.

"Al, I've been looking for you. My dad is picking us up. You're mom is coming too, but she has to go somewhere before and she's meeting us. You're dad got called into work so just look for my dad." she said before ducking her head back out and walking back down the corridor. Albus didn't even get to say thanks. He knew why his father had been called into work.

The train rounded the bend and pulled into Kings Cross Station. They pulled down their trunks and started walking as the train stopped. Albus carried Hedwig II's cage ad pulled his trunk as they stepped onto the platform. "Al, Scorpius, will you come and meet me ma?" Luke asked

"Yeah"

"Okay" they both said. They followed Luke when he stopped by a small woman. She had flowing blonde hair, very different to her son's hair. When her son was within range, she hugged him. "Mam, ma stop." he said. "This is Albus Potter" he said introducing him to his mother.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. O' Brien" he said as they shook hands.

"Call me Mary" she said. She possessed the same accent as her son.

"And this Scorpius Malfoy" he said as the blonde haired boy shook hands with his mother.

"Very nice to meet both of you." she said.

Albus looked around. It was easy for him to spot his uncle's red hair. He hauled his trunk and owl over to his uncle who was waiting with a trolley on which he placed Albus' cage and trunk.

"Good year Al?" his uncle asked

"It was alright" Albus said.

"Ready to go then?" he asked as he put Rose's trunk onto the trolley.

"Yep" he said as they walked through the barrier and back into the Muggle world. Albus Severus Potter couldn't wait for his second year at Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, this is the end of it. Check back for updates on Book Two. I'm going to make another story, dedicated to updates. Review and let me know what you think. If you want to ask me any questions about the next book and just can't wait for my updates on this, PM me or follow me on Twitter (at Potterhead1234) and I'll answer any questions you may have.**


	20. Book 2 Update

As I promised, here's an update on my second story in my Albus Potter series. I'm taking a week or two off before I start the second one. I will be starting this during the first week of August. As of now, the second of the series is currently unnamed. Once I name it, I will post another update. Included in that will be the date for the first update. Check back onto the new story I created, named Albus Potter Series Updates where this, and all other updates will be posted. As usual, if you have any questions about my series, PM me or you can find me on Twitter at: Potterhead1234

(it won't let me include the at symbol)


	21. Now Available

Albus Potter and the Thing They Feared, the second part of my series, is now available and fully completed!


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